Marriage of Convenience for Whom?
by Emilyblood
Summary: Ever wonder if celebrity weddings are just a conspiracy to sell tickets to movie theaters? Kikyou's movie studio demands that she marries Inuyasha to get him out of a tabloid nightmare and promote their new movie. One problem: Kikyou is already married.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha. I'm just playing. I also don't own any part of Shakespeare's _Twelfth Night_.

**A/N:** I know I was all bitchy with my Fortuneteller/Nerdy Hanyou fic, being all like I won't update for three weeks unless you guys get me ten reviews. But, then I found this on my computer from a few nights ago—I was watching CNN and they were speculating whether or not the upcoming Tom Cruise/Katie Holmes wedding was legit or not, and I was all like this would be perfect fanfiction. I tied in the conspiracy theory-ness of Josie and the Pussycats movie and here you go.

But after rereading this, I realized that its basically fits into that small inner genre of Inuyasha fanfic where Inuyasha and Kagome are forced into marriage for circumstances beyond their control. So please let me know if you want me to continue with this, or if its too clichéd for its own good.

I dedicate this story to Shawn. May some beautiful boy find and appreciate you for who you are someday. But please, for the love of God use a condom!

That being said, this is an Inuyasha/Kagome fic.

Chapter 1 

"You have got to be fucking kidding me!" Kikyou screamed as she hurled a stack of scripts at the head of Dreamstone Pictures CEO.

"No Kikyou, we're quite serious." The CEO said, resuming his seat. He had had to leap from it to get out of the way of the flying books that had been chucked at his head only moments before.

The Board of Directors for Dreamstone Pictures were staring at their brightest star as she crumpled down into her own chair, quietly sobbing. "I can't do it."

Several of the suits exchanged looks. This was so out of character for the ever obedient and eager to please Kikyou.

"Kikyou," the CEO coaxed. "Kikyou, when you became an actress under our studio's label, you signed a contract." He spoke carefully as though he we speaking to a child. "And in this contract, you agreed to do any off-set publicity necessary to promote your movies. ANY offset publicity we decided to be suitable. With the trouble Inuyasha has been having lately, we need you! You aren't going to break that contract now, because I think we've asked a lot more from you than this in the past."

Kikyou nodded silently, wiping away her running mascara as she began to fumble in her purse. Finally finding what she was looking for, she pulled out a pack of cigarettes and a lighter and lit up. Breathing in her smoke cloud deeply, she finally spoke. "I agree with what you say—that compared to some of the other movie-hype stunts you guys have put me though, this should be nothing." She took a long drag of her cigarette, blowing the smoke out through her nose. "But I'm married to someone else—that's why I can't simply marry Inuyasha to keep out movie from going belly up."

Kikyou slowly lifted her eyes from the boardroom table. As she had expected, every one was too shell shocked to say anything. Finally, the CEO managed out a "You've got to be kidding me."

She gave her head a small shake no.

"Prove it," someone called out.

Taking another drag on her cigarette, Kikyou dug through her purse again, this time bringing forth her wallet. After flipping though the pictures for several seconds, she came to one buried in the back. She practically flung it at the CEO.

He looked at it for a moment and scowled. There was Kikyou looking every bit the blushing bride as she was held in the arms of a handsome, but average looking man. The couple was surrounded by what could only be the family and friends that had attended the wedding. The CEO had been making a rather ugly face for some time when suddenly his expression lightened. "Who's that standing next to you?"

"My husband, idiot." She finished off the cigarette and brutally extinguished it on the glass tabletop.

"No, on the other side," he held up the picture and pointed to a woman who looked very much like Kikyou.

"That would be my sister, Kagome." Kikyou answered with an uncertain voice.

"There certainly is a family resemblance, wouldn't you say?"

"Yes…" She answered cautiously, becoming suspicious.

"Does she act?"

Now Kikyou knew what they were after, but she couldn't lie to them—that would be a breach of her contract, and it wasn't like they wouldn't find out the truth anyway. "Yes, but only community theater. She's getting her doctorate right now, studying class based consumerism."

"So she's smart?"

"More than you'd think," Kikyou answered coolly. She leaned back in her chair, crossing her arms over her chest. "But the question you really want to ask is how good of an actress is she."

"Yes," the CEO answered bluntly. "Could she play you faking marital bliss?"

"Kagome isn't going to marry my costar to promote my movie no matter how much you offer her. I'll admit it—she's far more talented than me, but she never even tried to have a film career because of shit like this. Don't bring her into this."

"Oh, but we will. I assume only a select few know about you're marriage." The CEO smirked with a greedy coming into his eye when Kikyou made no effort to deny it. "We'll find out who the lucky man is. Just as soon as the public knows of your secret wedding, they'll be hearing about the break up. No man will be able to handle the pressure we'll put your husband under, and believe me, he'll leave you. Remember Kikyou, you are a sex symbol, and as such, you either stay single or marry another sex symbol. If you don't play by our rules, what good are you?"

Kikyou, licked her front teeth. Reaching out for her purse, she pulled out another cigarette and her lighter, all the while keeping eye contact with her CEO. Sure she could list all the movies she had been in, all the money she had made, all the awards she had brought the studio, but it wouldn't matter. Hell, she could go on and on about her humanitarian projects and the numerous charities she had founded, but he and the board would laugh at her. The only thing that would matter would be promoting the movie right now. You were only as good as your last flick, they always said.

"Fine, I'll talk to her. What will you expect her to do?"

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"He named Sebastion; I my brother know yet living in my glass; even such and so in favor was my brother; and he went still in this fashion, color, ornament, for him I imitate. O, if it prove tempests are kind, and salt waves fresh in love!" Kagome delivered her lines so clearly and with such feeling that even though _Twelfth Night_ was comedy, there was hardly an eye in the house that wasn't at least pondering crying for the girl searching for her lost and believed dead brother.

Well there was one pair of eyes that wasn't anywhere close to weeping.

Watching as her little sister exited the stage, Kikyou pulled off her sunglasses to move them to the top her head. She flicked her cigarette and waved at Kagome, catching her attention.

"Kikyou!" Kagome gave a giddy hiss. "What's the occasion?" She hugged her sister and barely noticed that Kikyou was steering her to the green room, walking briskly.

"Can't I come and see my little sister without a reason?"

Kagome thought for a moment. "No, we have to call your assistant to schedule Christmas with you, and then its never on December 25th that we actually get to see you." She went to the water cooler and got a cup of water for herself and for her sister. Sitting back down, she looked pointedly at Kikyou. "Why are you here?"

Kikyou looked at her watch, she didn't have much time. She had a television interview in an hour and Kagome had to be back on stage any minute. Hopefully this wouldn't upset her too much. "I need your help."

Kagome stared at her sister for a moment. Kikyou had never needed help. Ever. Especially from her.

"You remember how I got married?" Kikyou began. Kagome nodded. It wasn't everyday that Kikyou agreed to share her life and personal space with another person.

"See, there's a slight problem with that. The studio is planning damage control for Inuyasha and a movie promotion for me, and it sort of involved us getting married…" She trailed off, looking at her hands. "They said they will ruin my marriage if I don't go along with this." She bit her lower lip.

"Oh Kikyou, I'm so sorry." Kagome pulled Kikyou into a hug. "Is there anything I can do?"

Kikyou gave her bottom lip another pinch and drew a breath. It was now or never. "Actually there is something you could do."

Kagome pulled back, looking at her sister with concern. "Anything." She took Kikyou's hand and gave is a squeeze. That was Kagome for you, always blindingly willing to help.

"You could marry Inuyasha for me."

Kagome looked at her, blinking. "Excuse me?" She squeaked. The Inuyasha. So distinct that he didn't even need a last name. The mysterious black haired, violet eyed movie star who despite only choosing tasteful and meaningful movies had more fan girls than two boy bands combined. The one actor Kagome would have gone to Hollywood to act with.

"I was trying to prove to those stupid suits that I was really married and not trying to cop out. I showed them the wedding picture with you in it." Kikyou cringed at the worried look Kagome was giving her, but still hurried on. "They saw that you and I were practically twins, and they jumped on the idea. The board of directors at Dreamstone want you to play me to the media."

"And to do this, I have to marry Inuyasha?"

"Well, yes. They're already planning a big wedding for the fall. Believe me, I'd take that bullet for you, but that's the most important part for you to be in." It was her turn to squeeze Kagome's hands as her little sister looked like she was about to be sick.

"So," Kagome began quietly. "You want me to give up any chance for my own marital happiness so you and another actor can further your careers?"

"Its not that bad. They hire people to impersonate the president an other heads of state all the time," Kikyou tried her best to beam, but somehow it fell short.

"Presidential impersonators don't have to MARRY anyone!" Kagome practically screeched. Several of the other actors on break paused to stare at her and one woman shushed her.

"That's nothing to worry about dear," Kikyou soothingly rubbed Kagome's arm. "You'll be divorced within a year—just in time for the summer block busters!"

Kagome ran her hand through her hair with nervous fingers. "I can't believe you're asking me to do this."

In her best Princess Leia impression, Kikyou took Kagome's hand in her own and looking her directly in the eye, "Please Kagome? You're my only hope."

Kagome pinched her eyes together. Kikyou had been such a good sister to her. She had stood up for her when she was in high school and the brace-faced, pimply-eye-sore butt of every joke. Kikyou had beat up the guy who stood her up for prom, not to mention coached her on her valedictorian speech. As her acting career had taken off by the time Kagome was going into grad school, she had offered to help pay most of the tuition. And Kikyou was always more than willing to listen to her lectures over the phone before she gave them, telling her when to breath and what to emphasize. Most importantly, she was always there to offer encouragement, never saying that Kagome couldn't do something.

So here she was, asking for the only big favor she had ever needed. But god, it was a big one. It would mean giving up her own identity, dealing with the press, and marrying a man that by most reports wasn't the most agreeable human being on the planet.

But if she didn't help, Kikyou could loose her contract with Dreamstone, and worse her husband.

"Divorced with in a year?" She raised an eyebrow to Kikyou's pleading eyes. "My research is on break for now. Fine, I'll do it."

It was Kikyou's turn to squeal. "Thank-you! Thank-you so much Kagome! You won't regret this!" She cried as she hugged her little sister.

"Miss Higurashi?" One of the prompters asked, cutting into the bonding moment. "Miss Higurashi, its almost time for you to go back on."

The two sisters broke apart. "Thanks sis, I'll have my assistant call you later to get you all the details." Kissing Kagome's cheek, she was gone.

Kagome made her way back to the stage. The last thought that crossed her mind before she stepped back into character of Viola was, "Did I make the right choice?"

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Inuyasha rolled out of bed and fell flat onto the floor. "Where the hell was he?" Sitting up enough he was able to peak over the lip of the bed. It looked vaguely familiar.

That's right, he had crashed at Miroku's house.

He had been forced to…with the sea of paparazzi surrounding his house after that bullshit story had broke last week.

The week before, an idiot at a drag club had dressed up like him dressed up like a woman just when a television crew was filming. Added with his large following in the gay community, the tabloid cooker was ripe for exploding. The final straw had been a cute little go-go boy from a gay club doing an in depth interview for Hollywood This Evening about his secret rendezvous with Inuyasha and how the movie star had broken his heart.

Just because he didn't like to party and didn't date actresses didn't make him a homosexual. It was just so frustrating—for a lot of actors, being wrongly outed would have enhanced their careers; it added to their mystic. But since the story had broke, women had been boycotting his romances and men had refused to touch his more suspenseful work. Even his gay following had shrunk—saying he had bad taste if the best he could do was a go-go boy at a less-than reputable club. Why not go some place like The Factory?

People were screaming into interviewing paparazzi that they didn't know him. Like anyone really knew an actor they had never met to begin with.

He crawled back into bed, dragging the blanket back over his head. But the studio executives were taking care of this for him. For the longest time they had let rumors stew about a secret relationship between him and Kikyou Higurashi, and now they were using that to save his career.

He would have to get married, but to keep acting, it was worth it. Granted, he hadn't squandered the millions he had made on cars, or houses, or even charites, so if worst came to worst, he could live very comfortably on his own if he had to. But he was too restless to do that.

No, he'd marry Kikyou, and then divorce her when the time was right.

How bad could married life be?

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Kagome fidgeted with the hem of her skirt. She was sitting in Kikyou's assistant's office and was nervous as hell.

Why was she doing this? The one play she had done on Broadway before she fell into obscurity had been torture. All the interviews, opening night, the press—that had driven her away from anything more than the occasional local play.

Doing this for Kikyou was like having all the baggage of an acting career without any of the perks.

_Except you get to hang around with the oh-so-pretty Inuyasha._ A little voice whispered in the back of her head.

'Right. Because a relationship is really what you need right now.' The other half of her brain reminded her.

Kagome sighed, leaning father back into her seat. Her last boyfriend had broken up with her a month ago, citing her devotion to her work was taking away from their time together. He didn't even let her try and explain that she was almost finished. Or that she had already been given a temporary leave from her research so the two of them could have time together. As if someone was telling her this, she shrugged her shoulders in response. At least it gave her a chance to do some acting, although helping Kikyou wasn't exactly her idea of fun. She let out another sigh, sinking deeper into the chair. Oh well, at least this way, she might be able to get out of paying Kikyou back for all the tuition she owed.

"Miss Higurashi?" A voice broke through her thoughts.

Looking up, she met the brown eyes of Kikyou's assistant.

"Good morning, I'm Sango," she stepped forward and firmly shook Kagome's hand. "Kikyou told me to take care of you. If you'll come this way." She opened the door from the waiting from to the main office. Kagome stepped in and immediately saw why Sango had lasted so long as Kikyou's assistant. The office was immaculately organized. No clutter whatsoever. On one side was obviously Sango's desk with its computer, mailboxes, telephone, neat cup of pens, a stack of Kikyo's face shots and business cards, and a small picture of a cat. On the wall next to the desk was a couch and two filing cabinets, while to leather chairs had been put to the desk's front. Looking over her shoulder as she took one of the chairs, she saw Kikyou's own office, half hidden by a partition jutting out not far from the fake plastic tree that was next to the couch. It was also neat, but mainly because it was so bare. Beside similar furniture set up, with the exception of the filing cabinets being replaced with a large television set in a wooden bookcase, the desk only had a few pencils, a tiny phone, and a framed photograph of her wedding. A high stack of scripts took up more space on the desk than anything else.

"So, Miss Higurashi, lets get started," Sango said with a friendly smile while she filled her cup of coffee from a maker that sat behind her desk and took her seat. She neatly folded her hands on the desk in front of her, keeping her back straight so that she looked like she was ready for a very important meeting. "Kikyou suggested we start with your schedule."

Kagome nodded. She felt rather dumpy in her sister's tidy sea-green office. She had thrown on a scruffy pair of jeans and faded sweater this morning when she left. Her patched jacket sat folded in her arms on her lap.

"Then maybe we can move onto wardrobe?"

Kagome nodded sadly. She couldn't do this. Trying to hide it from Sango, she reached up and brushed a tear away.

"Miss Hirgurashi? Are you alright?" Sango seemed genuinely concerned.

"I'm not sure I can do this…call me Kagome." She sniffled.

Sango drummer her long fingernails on then desk, and for a moment, Kagome thought that Kikyou's assistant was about to lose her patients. "Yes, you can. I've seen you act. This should be no problem for you." When Kagome looked up through her watery gaze, Sango was smiling warmly at her.

"You've seen me act?" Was the only thing Kagome could think to say.

"Actually, I've been quite a fan of yours for some time. I was really surprised when Kikyou sent me out last night to catch _Twelfth Night_. And there you were."

Kagome blushed. "I didn't know I had any fans."

"You were great playing Harperin_ Angel in America_. 'Mormons can give blowjobs.' That was great!"

"That was one of my favorite plays," Kagome smiled.

"See, you won't have any problem playing you sister. You won't even have to do research on Mormons or Valum addicts!" Sango beamed, glad to see that Kikyou's little sister had relaxed. Her employer had warned that Kagome would be a nervous wreck. "Now," Sango began again pulling a large planner from a desk draw, "tonight is the premiere of 'The Accordion Player'." She looked down at the schedule. "And tomorrow is the Midnight Show, but Kikyou will handle that one." Looking back up, "Basically, you'll handle all appearances with Inuyasha and Kikyou will do all the solo promotions."

Kagome nodded. "So Inuyasha will be there tonight?"

"His limo will pick you up at seven."

Kagome sputtered. "He's picking me up? I live in a hole in the wall!"

Sango gave her a quizzical look. "You're Kikyou, remember? Kikyou lives in a three-acre estate. That's where Inuyasha's limo is going."

The color returned to Kagome's face. "Oh." She paused for a moment, before beginning again. "I've never been to my sister's house before."

"Don't worry, she's having your things moved as we speak. You'll be finished with you're clothes, hair, and make-up by 4:30, and then she'll have you picked up." Sango looked at her planner again. "She says you'll have the west wing all to yourself."

Kagome was doing an impression of a sheet again. "I'm moving into her house?" She whispered.

"She decided it would be best last night that lived at her address. In case you were followed, it would be suspicious. Why would Kikyou Higurashi be living in a starving students apartment?" Sango said. It would be so much easier if when Kikyou decided to make move her sister's residence that she told her in person.

"I guess she's right," Kagome shrugged. It would be nice to have a place with air conditioning and food other than Ramen.

"Now, you need a dress for tonight." Sango stood. She chugged down her coffee in a fairly unladylike manner. When she set the mug back down, she met Kagome's frightened eyes.

"I can barely make rent. What makes you think that I can afford a dress for the red carpet?"

"First of all, Kikyou would pay for it. Second, Kikyou doesn't have to pay for most of her clothes. Designers send her wardrobes by the boat. We just have to go to the clothing vault and pick something out. That and when the annoying T.V. people ask, you tell them the designer." Sango flashed her an encouraging smile, leading them out of the office and to the clothing vault.

**A/N:** Ok, remember if you like this fic, review it. I think I like it enough to keep it going, but the fact that this premise is so over used bothers me.

On the note of the gay club stuff, I'm not gay bashing. My best friend is gay and most of the stuff of that nature in this fic is from our exploits, stuff he says, and the movie Trick (hot guys, but it has Tori Spelling and I hate her. If her head were run over with a truck, I would laugh). Don't flame me over this. You can correct me if I say something you find offensive, but don't flame me if you are a homophobe. That is not a pet peeve, that is a deal breaker. I will hunt you down.

As with all my A/N, DO NOT critique them. I don't mind comments about my A/N, but I can't stand when I get criticism of any kind on an A/N, it pisses me off. I write the fanfic to get feed back on my writing. I write my A/N as a way to blow off steam, and therefore take it personally when I get a flame or near flame about one in a review.


	2. The Red Carpet

Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha.

Yes, I'm sure you all thought I decided to scrap this but no. I'm an idiot and forgot to write in my last A/N that I was going out of the country for a couple weeks and wouldn't be about to update. Hopefully there are still people who want to read this.

"Kikyou" will always be Kagome unless I let you know otherwise. Just pay attention and you should be fine, but if does get confusing, let me know.

Chapter 2 

"I don't want to go, so I'm not going."

Miroku looked up from his dinner at his friend who had just come in from up stairs. He let out a sigh. This was not going to be good…

"I don't think you have a choice, Inuyasha."

Inuyasha growled, glowering at Miroku out of the corner of his eye as he poured himself a bowl of cereal. To Miroku he looked like he had been having personal doubts about his going/staying status. His long black hair was in a low braid, saying that he was going. However, he still had on his tattered blue jeans and sneakers, suggesting that he had no intention of leaving the house. Then there was the dirty white button-up shirt he was wearing, but that could mean anything in Inuyasha's world. The final touch was his black suit jacket, which was a vote for going to the premiere.

"I don't want to go, so why should I?" He thumbed his nose up in the air and roughly took a seat at the table. Reaching over, he poured some water from a blue pitcher into one of the matching mugs. He proceeded to devour his cereal.

"Because if you don't go tonight, you'll throw off the entire wedding time table, thus killing your acting career so that you fall into obscurity? Not to mention if you stand Kikyou up, she'll kill you."

"You can't stand someone up if you aren't really dating them." Inuyasha grumbled, finishing off his water.

Miroku rolled his eyes. "You know what I mean. Now go finish getting dressed, you have to pick Kikyou up in an hour and half, and you know traffic."

"Is saving my career worth marrying Kikyou?" Inuyasha asked, his mood suddenly downcast. The tone of his voice threw Miroku off for a moment—his friend sounded worried, maybe even sad. Peeking out at Inuyasha out of the corner of his eye he saw him studying the empty inside of his water mug.

"How much do you want to be a famous actor?" Miroku tried to ask a question that would bring Inuyasha back to reality of the situation.

"Its just Kikyou and I have never gotten along really well. I mean, we can be civil to one another, but no farther than that. The last time we saw each other, we practically killed one another. And now, we'll be living together—legally. Is keeping myself out of the sequel to _Glitter_ really worth putting up with her for a year? And what if this wedding isn't the career bandage that I need?"

Miroku sighed. This was not a good time for Inuyasha to get all thoughtful on him. Usually he acted first, then maybe if something kicked him in the face to make him remember, he would think about it later.

"Do you have any other options? You could always retire."

Inuyasha's head went down further, clutching his cereal spoon in a death grip. _No, I don't have anywhere else to turn and I don't want to retire_. "I guess I'll have to make it work." Slowly he slumped away from the table, heading back upstairs.

Miroku watched him leave then went back to eating his own dinner. He was tired of babysitting Inuyasha and putting up with the actor's attitude, but he still felt a pang of guilt and worry as he watched his friend walk away: it took a lot to beat down Inuyasha. He was ready as anyone for the scandal to pass so his friend would come back.

XXXXXXXXXXX

Kagome double checked her imagine in the full length mirror. She did not look like herself—she looked like Kikyou. Thanks to the stylist, beautician, make-up artist and Sango she appeared to be a little older, ever so slightly taller with the lifts in her heels, and her hair had been trimmed as much as she hated to do it.

It was unnerving.

The dress was one that Kagome would never have picked out for herself. It was a pale green with only one strap. The hem of the skirt came up shorter than several over sized t-shirts she had worn for pajamas. A spattering of sequins formed asymmetrical flowers here and there. All and all it wasn't her, it wasn't Kagome.

It was Kikyou.

There was a soft knock on the door, and Kagome called for the person to enter. Sango cracked the door open and peered in. Seeing that Kagome was fully, well sort of, clothed, she pushed though the door, smiling.

"You look good." Then, lowering her voice, "Almost better than Kikyou herself." She flashed Kagome a conspiratory smile. Glancing down, Sango examined the clip board in her hands. "Hair, makeup, dress, shoes. I think you're all done. Ready?"

"Are you sure that was all? There's nothing else?" Kagome began to fidget with the tiny purse that had come with her dress. "Like coaching on what I'm supposed to say?"

Sango smiled. "You'll do fine. Just play your sister. If all else fails, pretend that you're drunk. It's happened before." She finished with a sigh. Yes, the prim and pressed Kikyou had gotten herself smashed in the past when the paparazzi became too much for her—usually times when her and her husband were in a fight and she had to go walk the red carpet alone right after a scuffle.

Kagome drew in several deep panting breaths. Why had she ever agreed to this?

Because Kikyou has saved your ass more times than you can count, and you owe her. _And because you get to be near Inuyasha_, her mind snickered.

She hung her head, gathering her resolve. _Just act like Kikyou._ Lifting her head, she straightened her shoulders, standing very straight. She relaxed her facial features, trying to capture Kikyou's emotionless expression that she was famous for off the set. "Alright, Sango, I'm ready. I hope Inuyasha isn't late again. You know being fashionably late is a good thing, but being just late is devastating."

Sango stared at the girl before her for a moment, cocking her head to the side. "That was…great!" She grinned, hugging Kagome. "See? You've got nothing to worry about. Now come on, Inuyasha should be here at any moment."

With that, she took Kagome's hand and began to lead her downstairs, confident in the abilities of her employer's sister.

Kagome only wished she felt the same.

XXXXXXXXXX

Inuyasha's limo pulled into the Higurashi driveway exactly ten minutes after seven. Inuyasha waited inside, being in no real hurry to see his costar or listen to the lecture she was going to give him over whatever topic she decided he needed a lecture on.

She could be so high and mighty at times. _And you can be really immature_, his mind taunted him.

When five minutes had passed and still no sign of Kikyou, he began to worry. What if she had changed her mind and wasn't coming out at all?

He drummed his fingers on the arm rest as if it would some how speed Kikyou's progress.

After another two and a half minutes, Inuyasha's impatience got the best of him. He jerked the car door open and practically stomped up to the front of the house. Before he had the pleasure of banging it off its hinges, Kikyou herself calmly opened it herself.

"I was wondering when your chivalry would get the best of you," she flashed him a faint smile as she reached for her coat and waved good-bye to an oddly familiar, business-suited woman standing in the entrance hall. That was new, Inuyasha mused. The last time he had had to pick Kikyou up, there had been an army of servants to hand her her things, and he was sure that she had introduced a friend or two to him, but hardly paid them any notice as she left. Inuyasha shrugged it off, it wasn't important.

When they got to the limo, he tried to reach for the door so that he could open it for Kikyou, but she beat him to it. Carelessly, she swung the door wide, sliding in so that she left room for him on the leather seat.

Something was definitely up…

Shaking his head, Inuyasha slipped in next to Kikyou. As the limo pulled out of the drive and onto the street, he tried to study her when he thought she wouldn't notice. The woman beside him wasn't smiling—very Kikyou-esq. Her hair was stick straight, coveted by many and obtained by few. The green dress was skimpy and ever so slightly flashy, the typical garment chosen by Kikyou. Even her makeup and perfume were the same.

But there were something about her eyes. They appeared to be bigger, brighter some how…

"Have you had a facelift?" He blurted out the moment the thought crossed his mind. Instantly, he regretted it. Kikyou would hand it to him now. Inuyasha steeled himself for the onslaught.

"No, I'm not that old, Inuyasha."

Perfect calm. Any other actress he had encountered would have ripped his head off and served it too him boiled in oil for a lesser comment. Kikyou just looked bored. Maybe that was why they had never gotten along. She alternated ignoring him and looking like she had better places to be with telling him how much needed to grow up. What would it take to get a rise in real life out of Kikyou? On the set, she was full of emotion and vivacity, but as soon as the cameras turned off, she was a blank canvas.

"Your eyes just look funny."

"That braid makes your hair look funny." Kikyou shot back "Did you start using Rogaine?"

Inuyasha didn't quite know what to do. Kikyou never argued back with him. Or at least not well. She didn't even seem to notice what she had done. She was sitting, staring out the window, watching as the city began to grow around them.

In the end, he decided it best to change the subject. He really needed Kikyou to be as happy as Kikyou could be when they got to the premier. It had to be her make them look like a couple—he just had to come off as content. "So," he began as casually as he could, "what do you think about the wedding?"

Had she winced? Inuyasha could have sworn that she visibly grimaced, but it might have been a trick of the streetlights they were passing. He watched her closely as she began to reply to his question.

"Oh you know, it's just something for publicity…I've done worse." She glanced into his eyes for only a moment, then jerked her line of sight back to the window. Kikyou was avoiding his gaze.

Interesting…

He scooted over in the seat. _What would it take to get a rise out of Kikyou Higurashi?_ Inuyasha had to admit that he had never really gotten to know Kikyou despite the ever-growing list of movies they costarred in. Tonight, however, there was something different about her…she was begging to be flustered.

"What could be worse than defaming the institute of marriage, Kikyou?" He spoke in a cooing tone, like one might use for a child. "I never took you to be a Brittany Spears." He leaned in, letting his words tickle the stray hairs about her ear.

This time he knew she tried to jerk away, but only succeeded in first pushing back into his chest, then pulling forward so that she was further sandwiched with the window.

Clearing her throat, she tried to recover. "People don't have to know I'm getting married because I'm an idiot—I hope we can convince them that we do care for each other before the actual wedding day." Turning to him so that she could see his profile, "That and you at least look like you bath, I can't say that for Brittany's husband."

Again with the retorts! He didn't know that Kikyou could tell a joke.

What was going on, and where was Kikyou?

"So you think we can get along? Do you even remember the last day of set?"

She seemed to panic for a moment, her eyes growing wide, her lower lip trembling—_good job Yash, keeping the woman happy_. Then, the next instant, she snapped out of it. "Does it really matter now? Whatever has happened in the past, we'll just have to work though it, right?" She flashed him a smile, this one with more color and warmth than he had ever had Kikyou direct at him—on or off set.

This night was getting stranger and stranger. For a moment Kikyou had sounded like Kikyou: a woman who put her acting career before all else. Then she smiled at him in a way that made her not even look like the woman he knew.

Inuyasha growled. He didn't like being confused.

He didn't have time to peruse the subject as the limo had stopped outside the movie premiere. He shifted in his seat, waiting for Kikyou to open the door.

She didn't budge.

"Kikyou?"

Nothing. The limo driver was looking at them through the retractable window, waiting.

"Kikyou?"

She drew in a heavy breath. "Isn't someone going to open the door for me?"

There was not mistaking that—that was Kikyou: independent or helpless depending on her mood. Inuyasha flashed the driver a look, and the man nodded, making his way out of the car so that he could do the actress's bidding.

The driver pulled the door open, and again Kikyou seemed to pause. Inuyasha thought he was going to have to push her into the throng of reporters and fans, but in the next instant, she was up and out of the car. Once on her feet, Kikyou looked slightly shaken. When Inuyasha followed her, he saw that she was trying to smile, but she looked like a deer caught in a truck's headlights.

"Are you alright?" He whispered in her ear, taking her arm in his so that he could steer her in the direction of the red carpet.

Kikyou looked at him, her eyes blank. She seemed to nod her head.

"You'll be fine—you've done this before." He whispered again, trying to encourage her. Encourage Kikyou, this was a first. "Smile!" He had to instruct her when they came to the first group of reporters. She had been looking as though she were about to break into tears.

Mechanically, the thin cold smile that was Kikyou's trademark spread over the lips of Inuyasha's companion.

But there was something missing…or maybe something that was there and shouldn't be.

This woman was clearly afraid of the mass of people flanking the sides of the gauntlet that was known as the red carpet. Her lower lip trembled again and she bit into it, trying hard to keep the serene look on her face.

Well this was like stepping into fucking _Brazil_, Inuyasha thought. Usually Kikyou dragged him down the red carpet, stopping continuously, hand on hip and head tilted back, to pose for the camera.

"Are you sure you're alright? You aren't going to have a nervous breakdown?" He whispered in her ear. "You should probably wave." Inuyasha nudged her in the ribs. Unthinkingly, she raised her hand, in a way not unlike Kikyou, waved her hand.

They had only covered about the first quarter of the walkway. Slowly, there were fewer fans, and more photographers and reporters. Hopefully they'd make it to the end…

XXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Miss Higurashi! Miss Higurashi!" One of them called. "Who are you wearing!"

Kagome froze. She was supposed to remember the designer…if she didn't, a clothes maker was going to be pretty pissed at her sister. She felt a tightening in her chest._ Breath, she had to Breath._ If things hadn't been weird enough, they had to get so much worse in the car. She could tell Inuyasha had been toying with her—flirting with Kikyou. Then what had that been about the last day on the set? Had they had a fight? Over what? As if she wasn't bewildered enough, now, here she was on the red carpet with sensory overload.

Sucking in a breath, she remembered the name of the designer. "Its Lauren Klein," she said, doing her best to keep her voice from shaking. How did Kikyou do this all the time? The people screaming questions, the lights from the camera…it was all too much.

Breaking free of Inuyasha's grip and taking a wobbling step forward, Kagome tried to pass a couple ahead of her, chatting away with some reporters. "So you really had that pierced for the movie? Did you leave it in after the fact?" The journalist oozed.

Kagome thought she had a clear path, when a pop star and her entourage moved in front of her, halting her hoped-for mad dash in mid step. Unfortunately, as she tried to angle herself so that she wouldn't run into the back of a disgruntled bodyguard, Kagome lost her footing. The awkward shoes with their high heels and lifts did nothing for keeping her balance: Kagome was going down. First she lurched backward, then forward.

As if her life flashing in front of her eyes, she saw it: she saw her face with Kikyou's name plastered across every tabloid in the supermarket checkout aisle. Kagome envisioned her literal downfall. There she would be, spilled out on the ground, her skirt ridding up, her bust overflowing from the already-too-tight dress. From what she could see in the blinding walls of lights bursting on either side, Kagome knew that the press already had enough footage for a flipbook movie of her trip.

Kikyou was going to be so angry, and Kagome knew that despite what the rest of the country would think about the fallen Hollywood sweetheart, she would know that it had been her and not her sister who fell in the spotlight.

When Kikyou ended up on _Where Are They Now?_ this would be the footage that they would show.

Even if it was only from herself, she was never going to live this down.

Kagome could see the red threads that made up the walkway rapidly coming up to meet her face when a strong pair of hands wrapped around her waist, pulling her up right. When she was on her feet again, she could feel an arm on the small of her back, leading her along. Looking up, Kagome saw the irritated face of Inuyasha as he glided them the length of the gauntlet: he didn't look at her, but stared straight ahead, jaw locked. Though he looked, well, not the happiest she had seen him, Kagome couldn't help to think how protected she felt. He had just saved her from making a complete fool of herself in front of all those people. She leaned a little closer into his side.

Though slightly disoriented, Kagome could tell that they were reaching the end of the way. They were getting very close when someone called out to them.

"Quite the pair, aren't you?" A reporter scoffed. "Swung back to women, Inuyasha?"

Kagome felt herself being pivoted in the direction of the voice and heard a growl from her companion's chest. _Why can't he just let it go? _

"Please, for the love of God, snap out of whatever funk you're in Kikyou. Answer the woman." Inuyasha nudged, hissing in her ear. Kagome was sure that she heard a note of panic in his voice despite the fact that he wore his typical gruff expression.

Kagome took a deep breath—she had to do this, it was why she was here, right?

_Kikyou, what would Kikyou do?_

"Darling," she drawled to the female reporter who had shoved a microphone to her lips, "trust me, Inuyasha never swung away. He's always been here…with me." She did her best to purr, trying to push the embarrassment from her near-glorious fall out of her mind. She needed to be confident like Kikyou and remembering her misstep wasn't helping. She tried to remember the comforting feel of knowing that Inuyasha had cared enough to save her. He won't have done it to save his own face, right?

"So you two are an item now?" Another member of the press yelled amid cries of other questions.

Kagome gave her best coy impression of her sister, holding her head up at an angle. "What do you mean _now_?"

She gave a small push against Inuyasha's grasp, signaling to him that she was ready to move on. Kagome wasn't really sure how much longer she was going to last. They were moving so slowly, and Inuyasha seemed to be purposely slowing them down so she could answer questions. However, when her hands began to clutch her evening bag and shake, it seemed to Kagome that he picked up the pace.

Finally, after what seemed like a lifetime to Kagome, they stepped out of the melee of Hollywood journalist, and into the quiet of the movie theater. Underneath the chandelles of the old-style theater, the select few of Hollywood mingled, waiting for the show to begin.

The moment that the ever-watching eyes of the paparazzi were off them, Inuyasha pulled away from Kagome as if she were going to burn him.

"What the hell was that?" Inuyasha exploded, his arm thrown back to motion in the direction they had just come. Most of the people standing around them stopped their conversations to stare. "First you look like you're going to run, then you can't walk…thank God you could talk—not that that's a surprise."

Kagome felt like he has slapped her. Looking around, she saw that the room's attention was trained on them. Great, at least the press was outside, but this would still get the rumor mill turning. She pushed her anger at Inuyasha down, quelling it with her fear of public humiliation. Her heart beating in her throat, Kagome knew she had to do something to keep the rouse up.

Leaning over to Inuyasha, she reached out cautiously to his upper arm, caressing it in a soothing way, trying to mimic the way Kikyou would comfort her own husband after an argument. "I'm sorry, baby, you know I haven't been feeling well. Too much stress. Can we just go sit down, please?" She punctuated her sentence by leaning up and brushing her lips over Inuyasha's cheek.

The actor just stared down at her, his violet eyes practically glaring in disbelief as they bugged out of his head. When Kagome was sure he was about to yell at her again, he nodded slightly, drawing her back to his side, and escorting her into the waiting theater.

XXXXXXXXXXX

A/N: Please note that I know little to nothing about movie premieres. What I do know comes from watching hours of VH1. My idea of the set up follows the pattern of: limo drop off, walk red carpet, go inside, chit-chat and drinks, watch movie. Or at least the model for this fan fic.

I'm not particularly proud of this chapter, it took too long to write, and just feels like it falls flat on its ass. It borders on having too much plot. I feel like it just died somewhere in the middle. I'm not sure how much longer this fic is going to be, but I don't think I have that much plot to pump in to it to make it last that longer. That is also coupled with the fact that most of the chapters in this fic are somewhat longer than the ones I usually write for fanfiction. I guess we'll see together. If you have any ideas, pass them my way. If I use them, I will cite sources.

To my lovely reviewing fans who brought up specific points:

A&W: About the whole parents knowing/not know thing, I have to say that I hadn't thought it about it that much. I really didn't picture them having parents, probably because in the series Kikyou doesn't have family outside of Kaede, and I just can't see Kagome's mom being Kikyou's mom, you know? I may work that in later, but for now, console yourself with the parents either being dead or Hollywood make-up artist just being really good. If they can make Kim Cantrell look young, they can make Kagome look like Kikyou. I think the only thing that they really differ on (at least in this fic) appearance wise is the eyes, or at least that's the only thing Inuyasha notices.

Josie n the Pcats: Ok, after this chapter, Inuyasha obviously doesn't know about the switch. I think I like him being in the dark. Now the marriage-name thing…good call, man. See, I hadn't planned that far ahead, but since you brought it up, I really have no idea how to get around it. The best I've come up with is she goes ahead and uses Kikyou (since it isn't the most legitimate marriage in the world to begin with) or she goes by Kagome in the ceremony using the excuse that "Kikyou" is just her stage name. **If you (or anyone else) has any ideas on this matter, they are welcome.**

Neng: As far as this being a "Kikyou the Frigid Bitch" fic, I'm afraid not. If you really seek a semi-bitchy Kikyou, you could read my other fic, although I don't think that lives up the to level of bitchdom that most people want to see in Kikyou. As far as this fic goes, just think of Kikyou as being Kikyou when she was alive the first time in the series. Pre-Naraku/pseudo-Inuyasha-batrayal Kikyou: a woman trying to do her best, but being controlled and manipulated by her circumstances. Basically the Kikyou we see in all the non-death flashbacks. Did that even make sense? Kudoos to you if you can understand it, I sure as hell can't.

Thanks to every one else who reviewed! You guys are the rainbows of my day!


	3. The Cereal Twins

Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha.

I have nothing against people suffering from ADD, its just any easy reference.

I have never lived or visited Hollywood, sorry if I did and I butchered what your hometown is like. My bad.

Don't do drugs.

**A/N**: Ok, this chapter is the product of a tiny epiphany of mine during a drawn out family dinner. Basically, all I ask is that you keep an open mind when reading.

That being said, this chapter is just plain silly.

See you on the flip side.

**Chapter 3**

Kagome sat, sipping her tea as she looked out the window from her room.

Her _room_.

She probably could have fit three of her school-leased apartments in this one nook of Kikyou's house. Looking around, she took in the sitting chairs, the doors to the bathroom and closets, the television, the bay windows, ending on the softest bed she had ever slept in.

Turning back to the window, Kagome looked out at the California hills. She was trying to make sense of the night before, but understanding wasn't exactly coming to her.

Inuyasha sure as hell blew hot and cold with her, and it was driving her crazy. After he yelled at her in the theater lobby, he had led her into the screening, taking her hand when they began to walk down the aisle. She couldn't help the small blush that crept over her face at the attention even though Kikyo never blushed. Then he had ignored her through the rest of the movie, rudely shushing her when she asked a simple question. But as they threaded through the crowds, he had taken her hand again. Kagome scowled, wondering if he had done it to benefit the lingering paparazzi.

The strangest thing had been in the limo outside her sister's house. She had just murmured her goodbye and thanks to him when his hand shot out, grabbing her wrist. He had leaned so close that, for a moment at least, Kagome thought he was going to kiss her, but he didn't. Instead, in a voice filled something like regret or disappointment, he told her he was sorry for "what had happened" and that he hoped that they could "move on" although his "offer still remained". Kagome had mumbled a response and then pried her wrist out of his grasp, replacing it with her fingers. She gave him a warm hand squeeze and a smile that she knew wasn't anything like Kikyo's icy-but-beautiful stare and slipped out of the car.

The look in his eyes bothered more than anything: his golden orbs were filled with such sadness, but such longing. What had happened between her sister and Inuyasha?

In less than a month, she would be married to the man, as a long as they stayed on schedule…

And before then Kikyo had a lot of explaining to do if it was going to work. Whenever Kagome had asked, all involved said that things would be much better if Inuyasha stayed in the dark. Everything could fall apart if he found out what was going on right under his nose.

Sighing and looking down at her tea leaves, Kagome couldn't help but wonder how this was all going to work out.

More than anything, she was confused. For the longest time, she had had a star crush on Inuyasha, always being secretly jealous of Kikyou for all the movies they made in spite of her sister's assurance that he was in fact an ass. Now they would be bound together—what did it all mean? What was she supposed to feel if anything?

Pinching her eyes with her thumb and finger, she sighed and picked up the schedule Kikyou had sent to her room earlier the morning. In so many words, her sister was telling her that she wasn't allowed to see the light of day unless the starlet deemed it so. On the up swing, Kikyou's house had more toys, food, and open space to keep someone with ADD occupied for a very long time. Unfortunately, Kagome had never been one to sit still.

Kikyou was afraid that someone would spot Kagome and they would be screwed. Kagome wished she could have argued that she was used to dealing with people mistaking her for her older sister, but she couldn't. She had been at the same university for longer than she'd like to think. In the process though, most people had come to know her for her, and she really couldn't remember the last time someone confused her with Kikyo.

There was a knock on her door and a moment later, Sango popped her head in.

"Good morning sleepy head," Sango smiled, walking over to Kagome and handing her a Styrofoam coffee cup. "How's last night go?"

"What, you don't read the tabloids?" Kagome motioned the spread of newspapers that had been delivered with the schedule. Each cover had a different view of Kagome falling and Inuyasha catching her just before she splattered herself all over the red carpet.

Sango examined them with a smirk before commenting, "I've seen worse. Don't worry about it. You were hardly a blip on the morning entertainment news, and what they did say was speculation about your upcoming 'marriage'. As long as you don't care about what UFO watchers think, I wouldn't give it a second thought."

Sango moved to the other chair, across from Kagome, plucking up the girl's schedule as she moved.

"Wow, I'm surprised Kikyou can type this well," she said, giving the paper a once over.

Kagome gave her a dry look. "Regardless, it seems like she has me penciled in not to leave the house _ever_."

Taking Kagome in over the top edge of the paper, Sango rolled her eyes. "Do you have any idea how much you can fuck things up if you were seen?"

Kagome shrugged. "Do you have any idea how stir crazy I'll get staying here?"

"I thought you did research and wrote papers. Why not do that to pass the time?" She took a sip of her own coffee.

Looking at her hands, Kagome bowed her head. "I—I was scheduled to work, but I was dating this guy. We were talking about moving in together, but because of my research, we didn't have a lot of time to ourselves." She took a deep breath so she could continue. "I talked with my advisors and the university and got my work put on hold so that we could take the next step. When I told him about it, he said it was great, but that he knew as soon as we got settled in, I'd just have to go back to work, and he couldn't deal with that. So he left. He didn't understand—I was almost done with school as it was!" Kagome let out a sad sigh, looking again to the window. "I hadn't gone back yet because I didn't feel I could take it. Then Kikyo showed up with this…I just wish I knew what he was thinking when he left." She finished, bringing her gaze back to Sango.

"There was someone else," Sango said simply.

"Wh—what?" Kagome couldn't believe her ears.

"It was a cop out. He took the first door out he could get to, its that simple. Knowing guys, he probably had someone waiting for him once he got away from you."

"Oh." Kagome felt as if she was going to be sick.

"You didn't _love_ this jerk, did you?" Sango chuckled.

Kagome looked at her hands again, flexing her fingers. "I thought I did, but now, looking back, I'm not sure what I felt for him. I just know it hurt when he left."

"Well maybe _Inuyasha_ can help you get over him," Sango said, giving her a sly smile.

Unable to stop the blush that spread across her face, Kagome tried her best to hide it by looking at the window and not at Sango.

Sango let out a long breath. She liked Kagome almost as much as she liked Kikyou. Pulling her palm pilot out of her bag, she flipped though her schedule. The day was really just a catch up day, and there wasn't much to catch up on. A few invitations to RSVP to, but since Kikyou had been on set for most of the passed year and a half, there really wasn't all that much paperwork to do.

"Tell you what, since I brought up the sensitive subject of your ex, I'll take you to the grocery store. Kikyou said I was supposed to go shopping for you, but you can come with me."

"Really? I can get out of the house?" Sango could almost have sworn that she saw Kagome's ears visible perk up.

"Yes, at least for today. Tomorrow though you need to sike yourself up for finding something to do inside Kikyou's castle. Now get dressed, and I'll go find a hat and shades for you to wear."

"Hat and shades?" Kagome raised an eyebrow.

"A disguise. I'm not taking a ticking paparazzi bomb outside without a certain level of protection."

With that, Sango picked up her coffee, gathered her bag, and with a smile, left the room.

XXXXXXXXXXX

Inuyasha was curled up on the couch in Miroku's home, catching the morning gossip shows with the rest of Hollywood as they scrambled to get ready for the day. Inuyasha however was not scrambling. He was celebrating. Not only was the rumor mill _not_ talking about Kikyo's trip up, but they were gossiping about the possible "engagement/marriage/courtship" between him and Kikyo. Not a word about him frequenting gay bars.

He couldn't help the cocky smirk that spread over his lips as the lacquered blond in a salmon suit stared directly into the camera and said in an oh-so-perky voice, "We've been speculating about it for _years_ and it looks like it may have _finally_ happened. Inuyasha and Kikyo may finally be in an item, but will there be _wedding_ _bells_ in their future? Check out this _Hollywood Dish_ exclusive picture our camera man managed to get from the inside of the theater."

For several seconds the screen was filled with the image of Kikyo kissing his cheek: the same picture that all the other stations had been playing. One of the popcorn boys must have had a camera sold the picture the networks.

Yes, because most marriages were cemented by a friendly peck on the cheek, Inuyasha mused, his smirk faltering for a second. 

Kikyo had kissed him. Granted, it had only been a nip to calm him down, she still kissed him. Him, the man who the last time she had seen, she said she would rather star in _From Justin to Kelly_ _Part II_ than be involved with. She had always held him at an arm's length, but when he asked her to dinner, she looked frightened, then exploded.

Did she know his secret? 

Inuyasha shrugged. _Maybe this would work out after all_. He hadn't been thrilled with the fact that the studio's idea of damage control was to betroth him to a woman who obviously hated him, but in the face of the go-go boy scandal, it hadn't seemed that bad.

Now it wasn't looking bad at all. Maybe he could still get Kikyo to come around.

Maybe she already had.

XXXXXXXXXX

Half an hour later, Sango's sleek black car pulled up in front of what she dubbed a "grocery store". To Kagome, it looked more like a ritzy department store.

"Kikyou said to buy you whatever you wanted for the next week," Sango began as she stuffed her cell phone and car keys into her leather purse.

She and Kagome were a very mismatched pair as they made their way to the supermarket. Sango in her pressed black suit and long straight hair matched the spotless car she drove. Her shiny black heels clicked along next to Kagome's trudging sneakers. The girl's shoes matched her ratty jeans and baggy t-shirt. Her hair had been pulled back into a ponytail, then covered with a tattered baseball cap. Both women wore dark sunglasses, though Kagome's looked more for someone recovering from a drug addiction than Sango's trim shades.

They walked through the sliding glass doors and into the air-conditioned building. The place reminded Kagome more of an over-sized bath store than anything else. Everything was in wooden barrels or wooden shelves…she was beginning to wonder what the refrigerators would look like.

Sango got a cart, pushing it as she walk in step with Kagome. "Kikyo said that you'll be eating dinner every night with her and her husband, but you need to make sure you have something for breakfast, lunch, and any snacks."

Kagome nodded silently, taking in the rows and rows of overpriced organic food. How did her sister afford to shop at a place like this?

Sango directed Kagome to the cereal aisle, none of the names she recognized, but the pictures of the grain inside did look vaguely familiar in an all-natural sort of way.

Kagome was reaching for something that looked as though it might actually have sugar in it, when the parcel was plucked out of her grasp. Glaring at the person who had taken her would be cereal, she was surprised to meet the eyes of a hanyou. Though demons were assimilated into the human world, it was still a bit of a shock seeing such an obvious one in public. Usually they donned a disguise so they could go undetected and undisturbed.

Regardless of what youkai were supposed to do, the one clutching Kagome's cereal was blatantly not human. His hair was long and billowy white while the creature's eyes were an amber Kagome had only seen in demons and people with contact fetishes. But these things could, and often were, created by makeup artists. What really tipped the young actress off that her cereal snatcher was a demon were the two puppy ears perched on the top of his head.

"That's my cereal, I saw it first!" Kagome growled, reaching out for the bag that the hanyou held in his arms. He moved at the last movement and Kagome only grabbed air.

The hanyou in question gave a pointed look at the shelf realizing that he was gripping the last bag of that particular brand. He moved his golden orbs to the woman who was trying to take away the prize that he had won.

"Well, looks like I'm better with my hands," he shrugged, tuning to go.

Kagome fumed. She fisted her hands down at her sides, glaring at the half demon's back as he began to leave. Tick marks popped around her head. In a flash, her hand lashed out and she snagged the bag of sugar wheat and jerked it out from underneath his slackened arm.

Thanking God that she wasn't wearing the horrible trip-prone shoes from the night before, she turned and bolted as fast as she could in the opposite direction, hoping that she would find Sango who had mysteriously disappeared. That woman seemed like she could kick anyone's ass—including a demon's.

She had only made it to the frozen shrimp puffs when the close proximity of the stomping behind her became extremely apparent. The next instant, she felt strong hands grasp her waist, and a moment later, she was pinned to the ground. It happened so fast that she only just managed to fling the cereal bag out from underneath her, saving it from certain crushing.

Kagome didn't have time to ponder the weight pressing her into the tile floor of the supermarket or the fact that her baseball cap was missing—she was too busy watching her cereal being snatched out of her hands and the hanyou cereal thief's back as it disappeared behind a display of cheese blocks. On her feet in an instant, Kagome was trailing the man, not one to lose something like sugar. As a college student, she knew the value of sugar all to well.

Cursing as she saw him duck behind a stand of diet soda, she doubled back an aisle, choosing another that had every kind of cigarette known to man—both in and out of place in a store made for Hollywood health nuts. She was just in time to see him heading for the checkout and more tick marks flickered around her head. In a move that surprised even her, she increased her speed and tackled him. She caught him beautifully in the side, tumbling them both to the ground. The cereal went flying. They landed, the hanyou's back pushed against the floor, Kagome's head buried in his chest, praying that she didn't land on the ground and get a concussion.

They stayed like that for probably longer than was needed: the hanyou was stunned that the girl had been so bold. Sure he pulled shit like that all the time, this was the first time anyone had come after him—she could be a worthy opponent. Kagome on the other hand was catching her breath, trying to think of a way to get up while maintaining her dignity and still get away with the cereal.

The sound of a tapping high-heeled shoe brought both of them crashing back to reality. The man looking up over his shoulder, Kagome lifting her head met the raised eyebrow of Sango.

In the hands of Kikyo's assistant rested the much sought after bag of cereal.

"Lose something you two?" Though she was keeping an impassive façade, her voice held a note of humor.

"God! I can't take you anywhere!" A voice called from behind Sango, and was soon followed by the appearance of a man in a black suit with a contrasting purple tie and shirt combo. Hands on hips, looking in a weird way like the male version of Sango, the man glared down at the cereal twins.

"Kagome, you really need hurry. _Time_ _restrictions_, you know." Sango cut in, looking slightly impatient, not to mention worried.

Kagome drew in a breath, catching Sango's meaning. Finally it clicked where exactly she was and what exactly she was doing. Picking herself up, she blushed down at the demon she had used as a safely net. She had to catch her dark sunglasses to keep them from slipping off.

"Um, sorry…maybe I'll see you around?" She scrambled to her feet, then half heartedly reached back to help the hanyou to his feet. Their eyes met and Kagome could swear that she had seen that man before, but she knew she didn't know any hanyou.

"Yeah…" He shook her hand, his eyes shifting to Sango, locking onto the bag of cereal. Kagome saw the move, flicking her attention back to him. They looked at each other, then back at the bag in Sango's arms.

Sango screamed as the hanyou and Kagome rushed her, tossing the bag into the air in the process. She stumbled backward, unable keep her balance as the pair rushed by her. Sure that she was going to fall, she was more than a little surprised when a pair strong hands gripped her around the shoulders, staying her until she could get her balance. She was about to turn and thank her savior when she felt a warm pressure brushing over her backside. Sango had been in Hollywood long enough to know what it was.

Righting as best she could, she turned on her heel with a squeak to look the man in the eye who had been groping her ass. Purple eyes met hers, and she had to admit that for a pervert, he was rather handsome. His black hair was pulled back into a tiny ponytail, and somehow that worked for him. There was a collection of gold rings in his ears.

If he hadn't been just fondling her, Sango was have sworn the man was gay.

No matter, she thought with a shrug. Raising her hand, she brought her hand down hard on his cheek in a slap, leaving a red handprint across his face.

Meanwhile the cereal had been spinning in the ceiling as its pursuers stood beneath the bag of sugary goodness, waiting for its descent. The half demon was the first to get his claws into the cereal, but he once again underestimated the hunting prowess of Kagome who leaped in the air, snagging the other side.

They were in a dead lock.

"Give it back—I saw it first!" Kagome growled, punctuating her words with tiny tugs on the sack, praying that the demon's claws didn't tear though the already battered plastic.

"No! Do you have any idea how hard it is to find sweet stuff in a store like this?" The hanyou snarled back, standing his ground.

"Shop somewhere else then!" She gave a particularly hard tug, but stopped short as the sack had begun to rip, spilling some of his precious contents. The jerk of the movement though sent Kagome's druggie shades slipping off the bridge of her nose.

The man froze, letting his claws slip out of the cereal-bleeding bag. "Ki-Kikyo?"

Hugging the bag to her chest, Kagome froze. _Shit._

"Her stunt double," Sango came to the rescue. Her shiny black shoes clicked against the tiles as she walked up to stand next to Kagome. "I'm her agent, would you like to book her? She's free for birthday parties, but we prefer younger children—they're less likely to see through the disguise." She flashed Kagome a sideways look of warning. With slightly shaking hand, Kagome slipped the sunglasses back over her eyes. She felt something hit her in the back, and as carefully as possible, she looked down behind her to see her hat being waved at her by an impatient Sango. Cringing at her clumsiness, she took the cap back and did her best to nonchalantly slip it back over her ponytail-ed head.

The hanyou eyed Kagome, only half listening to Sango. He shook his head at her offer and Sango shrugged. "Well, we have things we need to get to." Sango said with a tight-lipped smile. "Good day."

Sango pivoted on her squeaky heels again and headed for the ice cream without waiting for Kagome to follow.

Kagome for her part looked down at the cereal in her hands and for a moment thought about giving it to the hanyou…but no, it was hers. She turned to follow Sango but she felt a hand on her shoulder.

"Hey, girl…uh Kagome?"

She looked back to hanyou, eyebrow raised. "I'm keeping the cereal, you let go." Her grip tightened.

"Yeah, uh keep it. Would you like to get some coffee some time?"

Kagome stared back at him in disbelief. A hanyou was asking her out? No one, man or demon had asked her on a date since her last boyfriend, and that had been near the end of undergraduate.

She shrugged, he seemed nice enough. It would be breaking Kikyo's rules, but how much would it hurt if she kept up the disguise?

"All right," Kagome said with a small smile. "Give me your number, I'll have to check my schedule." At his look telling her that he didn't believe she'd call, Kagome wrote her cell phone number across his hand as well as her instant messenger screen name.

As she walked off to find Sango, still clutching the bag of cereal, Kagome's step had a little more bounce in it than it had for the past couple days.

XXXXXXXXXXXX

**A/N:** Again, another chapter that wouldn't die. I was all like, sure, I can get this in in under six pages, but no, it had to keep going. Urg.

Ok, I know this chapter took a sharp plot turn, but I think I can make it work—give me at least another chapter or two to prove it. It will kind of go in the direction of the Kagome-Inuyasha-Kikyo love triangle, but with Kagome being both people. No, I'm not really sure what that means, but I think it will look better written out. I'll try to make it more clear in the next installment, but if it gets insanely out of control, don't be surprised when if there are massive re-writes. I'm playing, let me work my "magic".

**Thanks to my reviews. I would write more about you guys because you are great, but its late I just got back from a heinous wedding (think that My Chemical Romance Helena video by someone who listens to rap and country). For the sake not plagiarizing in the future, _dragongigi_, I like the way you think, and I'll see what I can do. If I do use your ideas (or anyone else' for that matter) and forget to credit you, bitch me out. I'm a forgetful fuckwit at times, and I hate ripping stuff that's not mine without citing. It makes me feel like more of a bitch than I already am.**

Questions, ideas on how this acid trip on speed should go? I'll try to be more responsive next time.


	4. Pills or Mistaken Idenity?

**Disclaimer**: I don't own Inuyasha. Ba. 

**A/N: **Ok, here's the deal: school is back in session, so updates are going to be few and far between. But as this chapter is proof, I can write and do the shit buckets of reading required of me, so I'll make an effort not to leave you guys hanging. I know this sucks, but it's the way things are.

**Reviews: **

**Crescent Venus**: Yeah, I probably should go back and write in, but well, I'm lazy. I definitely will if it gets any worse.

**King of Chaos:** Glad to heard it. I can sleep better at night.

**TouchofPixieDust, Tianna, and bbbeee:** I liked the cereal too. I only wish I knew where that came from so I could write more of it.

**Dave55man:** good to know that someone likes the idea

**Pagan sedjou: **glad you like it. And thanks for saying its not clichéd. I like not being a complete hack. : )

**Baka mai 28: **hopefully this chapter won't be too disappointing—I did write it between Veblen and archaeology readings!

**Thanks to everyone who reviewed and all the people who put my story/me on their favorites list! **

**Chapter 4**

Miroku stared at the backside of the girl disappearing behind the pyramid of doughnut boxes, then back at his white haired friend for a moment before he popped the hanyou on the back of the head.

"What in the seven hells was that?" The monk gapped.

Inuyasha rubbed the now sore spot and turned to glare at his friend. "I couldn't help myself?" Miroku wasn't buying it. "Look, she was cute."

"You're getting married." Miroku stated, turning back to his abandoned shopping cart.

"What do you care? You're a pervert," Inuyasha said nonchalantly. He reached out and plucked up a sack of sugar-free cookies, swinging them into the cart. Moving on to bread, he barely noticed when Miroku pulled the cookies out, shaking his head. It wouldn't do to have the groom to be packing on the pounds before his wedding day.

"What about Kikyou? This morning, you were practically tipsy saying she had finally come around. You're marrying the girl, do you really want to screw that up because of a pretty face? Believe me, I know more about screwing up with pretty faces than you might think!" He beamed at the innuendo.

"Look," Inuyasha growled, rolling his eyes. "Its still Kikyou we're taking about. I'm telling you, it was beyond weird last night—she was _nothing_ like herself. She has to be popping some sort of pill." Inuyasha grumbled again. He had been playing the night over and over in his head, and he still wasn't sure what to think. Yes, in front of the cameras, Kikyou had been Kikyou. But when they were alone or walking—and then in the theater—she had alternated being shy or afraid and trying to make small talk with him. And idea popped into his head: something was going on. Something big. Miroku may not have a clue, but he did. Granted, he couldn't use his youkai senses when he was in disguise, but even in his human form he wasn't blind.

"You want to know what I think?" Inuyasha pushed, "I think that was Kikyou." He motioned in the direction that the girl had just gone.

Miroku rolled his eyes. "You have never been around Kikyou in your present form, so can't know for sure. Do you really want to screw this up because of a case of mistaken identity? In my personal opinion, I think she was telling truth—that she is Kikyou's stunt double. They do look similar, but there is no way that was Kikyou."

"Miroku, Kikyou doesn't have a stunt double."

The monk looked at him for a moment, blinking, then regained his resolve. "So she was lying. It doesn't mean that she's Kikyou. Come on, you have an interview at three and you still have to get you hair done." Turning on his heel in a way that Sango would have been proud of, he continued down the aisle to the vegetables.

Inuyasha growled, squeezing a bag of Bunny Bread in his claws. He hated it when Miroku used such high-handed methods with him—especially when the monk had a chance of being right.

What he really didn't understand was how the woman from the night before and the bitch who had just stolen his cereal could not be same person. It certainly seemed impossible that they could be the Kikyou he had known for years—it was like having two people pretending to be Kikyou. There had to be something wrong with her…

He just hoped it wasn't something too serious. Just when the woman of his dreams was recognizing him as a viable mate, he was beginning to suspect it was because she was loosing her mind.

He had never seen Kikyou react that way to sugar.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"That was close." Sango breathed a sigh of relief as they lost the two men in the aisles of the supermarket.

"Tell me about it." Kagome mumbled. She felt in her pocket for the number, giving it a squeeze to make sure it was real. Sango and Kikyou would kill her if they knew what she had in the palm of her hand at that moment.

The thought almost made her stop dead in her tracks. Why was she doing it? Why take a stranger's name and number like that when, at the moment, for her sister's sake, she really shouldn't even exist?

Kagome felt her stomach drop. _This could ruin everything_.

Another voice in her head, the one she so often pushed down because it looked out only for Kagome, piped up. _When was the last time a guy was remotely interested in you? Including Kouga. Face it, no matter how much you wrap yourself up in work and research, you are lonely. _

The other voice argued back, _You don't even know this guy's name. And you never know, Kouga could always come back._

_But he won't, will he?_

"Kagome? Are you alright?" Sango's worried voice pierced her thoughts. Looking up, Kagome met Sango's gaze, blushing a little when she realized that her sister's assistant had been watching her inner monologue going on.

"I'm fine, Sango," she forced a smile and continued on down the aisle despite the fact that her companion had stopped.

Sango watched her walk away for a moment before following. She had seen the looks Kagome and that hanyou had been sharing, and she had to admit that it had her more than a little worried. Her concern was doubled when she saw Kagome slip a piece of paper in her pocket.

This wasn't going to be good.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Two Days Later 

Kagome stood on a pedestal in a dress shop getting one of Kikyou's dresses from her substantial collection fitted to her form: let out at the waist and bust, bring in the shoulders, and pull in the hem a bit.

Sighing, she looked down at the woman sticking pins in the fabric that cloaked her body then let her gaze slide back up to the mirror where her own eyes met her gaze.

She was getting tired of this and it had barely been four—maybe three and a half days depending on how you counted. Since the supermarket, she had a sinking suspicion that Sango saw her exchange numbers with the hanyou. Someone was always around when she tried to use the computer so that was out as a way to contact or be contacted by him and her cell phone had mysteriously disappeared. She was feeling like a child and a prisoner, but really she expected nothing less from her sister and Sango.

It's for the best. He probably has a stack of bodies in his basement, and even if he doesn't, he'd hurt you. You're too soft for casual dating.

"Are you almost finished?" Kagome practically snapped at the dress making, then quickly apologized. She rubbed her temples in an effort to relieve the headache that was brewing on the horizon of her consciousness. This had been a bad idea, she had known it, but still she said yes to Kikyou.

Raising her gaze back up to the mirror, she was just in time to see a wisp of white hair disappearing in one of the dressing rooms that lined the hall to the fitting room.

She had never seen white hair like that before—or at least not before or since the grocery store. Kagome couldn't help but smirk, glad to see that the piece of paper with a wrinkled phone number wasn't going to waste and Sango and Kikyou's best efforts weren't going to do a bit of good.

"Give me a moment miss, I need just a few more pins dear," the seamstress smiled up at Kagome. A little shakily she got to her feet with the help of Kagome's offered hand and made her way to one of the back rooms.

Kagome gave herself another once over in the mirror—the dress was starting to look much better and would be vastly improved once all the pin had been replaced with stitches. The dresses Kikyou had in her vault were all far more glamorous than anything Kagome had worn in years so they looked so foreign and unflattering on her. But the seamstress seemed to know enough to mold them into something looked good even on her.

A cough from the direction of the dressing rooms brought Kagome's attention to the line of curtains that lined the hall.

The silver hair…

Slipping off the pedestal, Kagome carefully gathered the dress and began to creep to the line of rooms. Which one had it been? Somewhere near the middle…

A muffled curse drew her to a curtain not two doors down from where she stood. Tip toeing, she stepped in front of the drape-covered door and debated over what her next move should be.

_What if it isn't him?_

_How many people do you know with hair that color?_

_Even it is him, what are you going to do? He may just think you're a weird stalker with a cereal fetish!_

_No, he gave you his number! He wants to see you again._

I don't know, this may be a bad idea… 

Kagome sighed. She raised her hand to knock on the panel next to the curtain, but then let her fist fall. This was stupid.

She was turning to go when the door slid open. Kagome wasn't really sure what she saw, but it certainly looked like Inuyasha: she could have sworn that she saw the actor's trademark black hair and violet eyes. There was startled scream and the curtain was violently thrust shut.

Standing where she was, Kagome tried to process what exactly it was that she had just had a glimpse of. She worried her lower lip and was about to leave for the second time, when the curtain opened again and a form very much a hanyou stepped out.

He looked down at her for a moment, and Kagome was sure that he didn't recognize her. Then he smirked and it was clear that he knew who she was just as well as she knew who he was. Kagome felt an impulse to clutch a bag of cereal to herself.

"Well, well, if it isn't the cereal whore!" He growled mischievously in a way that could almost have been considered a laugh if it had not held a trace of menace.

"At least I got the cereal. You went home without sugar," Kagome took a step back, taking in the man's clothes. It looked as if he were getting fitted for a simple suit, as though he were going to a wedding.

"Speaking of home," he said, his tone changing to one with less mirth and more than a little nervousness as he fidgeted with the buttons on his tux, "you never called me. And your 'number' seems to have been disconnected."

Kagome couldn't help but blush. _So did they not only took my phone, but they cancelled my contract. Greeeaaat!_

"Oh," she tried to cover. "Sorry, I dropped my phone the other day and it, well, shattered." As much as she was trying to stop it, she blushed again. "I'm Kagome, _again_." She remembered Sango's introducing her as Kikyou's stunt double. _Yeah, you could say that._ "I don't think I even got your name the other day," she smiled lopsided, holding out her hand to him as best she could with all the pins threatening to stick her in various places and painful ways.

A look of what under normal circumstances she would have been called worry crossed over his face, but as soon as it was there, the expression blurred into the self confidence that seemed to fit him better.

"I'm Inuyasha," he smirked down at her, shaking her hand in a firm grip.

Kagome's breath caught in her throat. _Inuyasha?_ Her mind flashed back to moments before. The figure with the dark eyes and hair…a trick of the light? No, the man before her now was clearly a hanyou…so what did it mean?

He seemed to see the confusion on her face. "You know, like the actor? I'm sure you've heard of him. I guess it's an unusual name over here, but from the part of Japan I'm from, it's not that uncommon." He grinned again and let her hand go. Kagome almost felt sorry for the lose of contact. "Would you like to get some coffee now?"

_Persistent. _Kagome blushed. She couldn't help but feel more than a little flattered.

What if he's a serial killer? He could be just trying to get you near a dark alley so he can…

Kagome realized that she was arguing with herself again. Looking down, she also realized that she was wearing an evening gown stuck full of pins.

"I'm afraid I'm not quite sure I'm dressed of the occasion." She felt a nervous giggle slip out.

Inuyasha looked down at his own attire. " I guess I'm not either. After we've been patched up then?"

Kagome's mind immediately flashed to Sango sitting out in the lobby waiting patiently. Her eyes slid over, past the alterations stand and mirrors to a back door. "Sure, coffee would be great." She smiled, her stomach flipping like fucking dolphins at Sea World as he smiled back. _What's wrong with me?_

Still, she couldn't help but feel a flitter of excitement, and it wasn't that she was about to get out of the itchy dress and its evil pins.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Inuyasha quickly finished changing out of his tux and into his street clothes.

That had been close.

That had been more than close—she had fucking seen him!

But then she didn't seem to have notice.

Shrugging, he slipped on his tee shirt. She didn't seem to care that he was a hanyou.

Still, this was a perfect opportunity to test his Kikyou theory. Something was up and, at the very least, Kikyou was walking around pretending to be someone else. He knew the value of anonymity as well as anyone else—he switched species to hide his identity. But Kikyou was going around it in such a strange manner—you could hardly call _that_ a disguise.

Slipping the curtain open a tiny bit he peeked out at the girl waiting by the back door. She had said she was afraid of the paparazzi seeing her if they went out the front exit—that because of "being Kikyou's stunt double" she often got mistaken for the actress. Whatever game she was playing he'd go along with it—at least for a while.

He stepped out of the dressing room and handed the pinned tux to the waiting sales associate. Looking over, he met Kagome's eyes and gave her a faint smile. She stood and turned to go out the door, Inuyasha following. As he passed the dress she had been wearing that now hung on one of the mirrors, he noticed the collections of gems that covered the gown making a flower pattern over the dress. Yanking a thread from his shirt, he tied it about the center jewel of one particularly large bloom on the hip. _Perfect—if stays in place_, he smirked.

Quickly he hurried after Kagome who was waiting outside for him.


	5. Sneakiness

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Inuyasha, bitch.

**Thanks to those who reviewed!**

**A/N: Important! I'm leaving the country for four months!** So yeah, you guessed it, there will be fewer updates than there have been in the past. Not only will my internet connection by shaky at best, I don't know if I'll have internet on my laptop. That and the fact that I'll be traveling all over Europe in addition to taking classes, so there probably won't be any updates until June after January 6th. Sorry sniffle.

Chapter 5 

Inuyasha waited. He looked at his watch, then he waited some more, his eyes never leaving the woman who sat across from him.

Now he knew something wasn't right.

They had been at the café for five minutes, they had even ordered, and Kikyou hadn't lit up a cigarette. She was just sitting there, staring at him.

_I have to make her slip up._ Inuyasha thought, toying with the straw in drink. A small smirk edged its way on the corner of his mouth. He had always liked a challenge.

"So tell me, _Kagome_, how did you become a stunt double? I don't know that many girls who go looking for that line of work."

Kagome stared at him for a moment, digesting the question. "I sort of got trapped into it—I started out acting, and the next thing I know, this was the last job I could get in Hollywood." _Not a complete lie. I am trapped here._

Inuyasha nodded. "I know how that goes…So, what's the dress for?"

Kagome gapped at him. "You know, this and that," she tried to shrug it off, but telling from the look on his face, she knew she had not convinced the new Inuyasha. "What's the tux for?" she countered.

"Dinner party with some bitch friend of my boss. Its something of a blind date." Inuyasha slouched in his chair. He continued to toy with his straw, flicking ice in different directions. The glass wobbled from time to time, but Inuyasha paid it no mind.

"You're going to spill that you know." Kagome glared at him. Again Inuyasha remained impassive. "A blind date, you said? What's so bad about that?"

"I've worked with the woman before, but our boss is pushing us together. He seems to think it would be good for the company if we hooked up." Inuyasha let out a long sigh.

"So is she repulsive or something?" The hanyou's eyebrows shot up into his hairline and Kagome tried to recover under the somewhat angry glare he was giving her. "I mean, why do you seem unhappy about seeing her?"

"Its not that I don't like her, its just I don't like the idea of going out with her for the sake of our jobs." Inuyasha grumbled, leaning forward onto his elbows.

Kagome thought for a moment. "I guess it depends on how you look at things…"

"Or how she looks at it. In the past when we've been set up, I've tried to treat them like regular dates, but she always approaches the damn things like just another job." He grumbled and leaned back so his hands were behind his head. "The same thing keeps happening. She stays cold, I get pissed of and treat her like shit, and that's that."

Kagome gave a small laugh which Inuyasha growled at. "You need to relax, first of all. No woman is going to take kindly to a guy who gets wound up and explodes."

Inuyasha looked at her. Yeah, she looked like Kikyou, but Kikyou didn't say shit like that. Ever, especially to strangers.

But Kikyou is a great actress… Actress yes, but its not like she writes her own lines… 

Not thinking, he leaned forward and began to play with his drink and straw again. Kagome was almost about to warn him to stop, when then glass over turned in her direction, spilling the liquid all over her outfit.

Inuyasha stood the cup up quickly, but was not in time to stop the waterfall that poured into Kagome's lap. He expected to hear a shriek followed closely by a string of curses to his name.

The scream came, piercing though his sensitive youkai ears. However, instead of every obscenity flowing from the woman's mouth, which would have been the response the water normally would have provoked from Kikyou (Inuyasha had a habit of playing with straws), he was shocked to find himself dripping wet. Blinking and pushing his wet hair aside, he looked to find Kagome holding her now empty glass over his head.

She was smiling at him sadistically. He could almost believe her when she said she wasn't Kikyou….but the slightest doubt still lingered in his mind….

"I told you you would spill you water if you didn't stop." Plucking up a napkin, she wiped her chair of the water and ice. Sitting back down, she laughed openly at his look of surprise through the hair and ears plastered to his head.

_Ok, that was definitely not a Kikyou thing to do. Maybe she's on the level._

Inuyasha had just managed to whip his wet hair out of his face when the food arrived. The waiter flashed them both a disgruntle look that said if they didn't stopped fucking around soon, they both would be forcefully removed.

Kagome thanked the waiter despite the man's death glare, and Inuyasha couldn't help chalking up another tally on the side of her _not_ being Kikyou.

If she's not Kikyou, damn there is a resemblance! 

_Might as well go in for the kill._

"So, would you go to dinner with me some time?"

Kagome almost choked on her sandwich. "Excuse me? Dinner, like a date dinner?" She croaked.

"This is fun, isn't it? Why no do it for dinner?" He smiled as confidently as he could muster. In all reality, he was worried she wasn't enjoying being around him, especially if she really was Kikyou.

Kagome looked at him so intently he swallowed hard, but then she broke into a smile. "You're right, this is fun. I don't remember the last time I got into a water fight at a restaurant. Actually, I don't think I've ever had a water fight in a restaurant." She resumed eating her sandwich, but Inuyasha's ears twitched on the top of his head.

"So does that mean you'll go on a date with me?"

"I don't know…You seem kind of hung up on the girl from work…the blind datish one? Why go out with me?"

Inuyasha cursed under his breath. _Because you probably are the girl from work, Kikyou._

"I wouldn't say I'm hung up with her…and besides she's ignored be for years. You'll go out to lunch with me without a memo from our boss. How about Friday?"

Kagome flinched. _Fuck, the party is on Friday! _"How about Saturday night?"

Inuyasha gave her a calculating look. She said Friday was off, but then that was the night of the party.

"Saturday is good for me, when should I pick you up?"

Kagome stiffened. _You have been out of the dating loop so long that you forgot you have to give an address in the process. Fuck! You don't have an address and he already thinks you're Kikyou. Stupid! Stupid! Stupid!_

With a sudden burst of inspiration, a light bulb flickered over her head. "I have some research to do at the university Saturday afternoon, could pick me up there? In front of the social sciences building? 6-ish?"

Inuyasha was struck with a moment of doubt. _Kikyou knows where the university is?_

He was about to answer her when he noticed Kagome was staring frozen at someone walking toward their table and fear was rolling off her. He turned to see her "agent" walking towards them with her features etched in an angry glare.

"I was worried sick!" Sango growled before she had even reached their table.

"Sorry," Kagome bowed her head. She was blushing, embarrassed because she was about to get a dressing down in front of Inuyasha. She had only met the hanyou, but the thought of him seeing her treated like a child was not appealing. It only made her blush harder.

"And now we are late," Sango announced as she stepped up to the side of their table, looking at her watch and taping the toe of her shoe.

"I'm sure any man would be willing to wait for you," a voice cooed from behind Sango. All three at the table turned to see Miroku standing there in his pressed black suit.

"I don't even want to talk to you," Sango glared. Returning her attention to Kagome, she began, "We really have to be going, you know—"

Sango suddenly stiffened, stopping midsentence. Her hand shot behind her back and a moment later she pulled out Miroku's quivering hand—thankfully still attached to the innocent looking monk.

"My dear, if you will not speak to me, could we perhaps practice some sign language?" he grinned.

Red tick marks popped around Sango's head. "I've got your sign right here!" She growled, flashing her hand in front of his face.

"I'd love to!" Miroku beamed, taking in the gesture.

Without answering, Sango jerked Kagome away from her half eaten sandwich, dragging the girl from the restaurant. In her haste, she failed to notice Kagome mouthing the word "six" and giving him a thumbs up to Inuyasha as she was pulled away. The hanyou nodded he understood.

"What the hell were you thinking!" Sango screamed once they were out of earshot. "Kikyou is going to kill me! And then I'm sure she'll go after you."

Kagome shrugged. "I was just getting some food."

"You were supposed to be getting fitted for a dress! Not going out with random hanyou!" Fisting her hands in her hair, she pulled on her locks. "Kikyou is going to _kill_ me."

"Its fine Sango. No one saw us, and he—"

"He thinks you're Kikyou! He could leak it to the paparazzi that Kikyou is slumming, and they could get pictures. You have to promise me you won't see him again Kagome. Promise me or I'll have to tell Kikyou."

Kagome nodded. "I promise Sango. I don't usually do stuff like this, its just…"

"Its alright Kagome. I understand, not come on, you're due for a manicure."

Kagome gave a fleeting look back at the building where she knew Inuyasha was, and then continued on after Sango.

**A/N: **That's it for now. I know its short, but I thought you would like an update of some sort as opposed to um nothing. I'll try to update again before Friday, but no promises because I'm lazy.


	6. WTF, Mate?

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Inuyasha.

Chapter 6 

Kagome was cursing her sister's stinginess with her guest room sheets as she dangled a good six feet off the ground from the open window above. The bed had looked so big, she had been sure the two sheets and the under blanket would reach the ground. She had tried to tie in the comforter too, but it had been too thick and silky to work.

So now she twisted in the wind, debating over her two options: go up or go down. If she went up, no date with Inuyasha. No smiling, fun hanyou: she would continue as boring and lonely Kagome. If she went down, she could get to go see Inuyasha, but then again, she could hurt herself, and then there would be no date anyway. And if she was injured, Kikyou and Sango would kill her; she'd ruin their plans.

The slippery sheets and her lousy knot-making skills decided for her.

One minute she was hanging on to dear life, the next she felt the ever so slight jostle as the sheet slipped a bit further to the ground. Kagome attempted to claw her was back up, but it did no good, and in the final moment, she found herself plummeting to the ground as it rose up to meet her.

She landed hard, the sheet landing on top of her like some sort of funeral shroud.

She was dead.

Or at least Kagome wished she were dead. The wind had been knocked out of her when she hit the ground and it took her several minutes to regain her breath. Once she could breathe again, she could feel pain in her feet and in her back as well the back of her head. Trying to sit up only sent the shooting pain of a headache though her skull.

Kagome rolled over onto her side then slowly sat all the way up. She shook her head a few times, finally managing to get the spots from dancing before her eyes. Next, she examined her feet to find they were also only in shock; all her toes wiggled at her will.

Looking at her watch, she found she had just enough time to get across town before her date with Inuyasha—well the nice Inuyasha anyway…

Kagome picked herself off the ground and began slipping toward the edge of her sister's yard. She still had to sneak past Kikyou's security. This however proved to be easier to do than sneaking out her room had been. The security guards took her to be Kikyou from a distance, and they merely nodded to her as she walked out onto the street.

She had to walk a few blocks before she found the taxi she had called since no bus was going to have a stop out in the wealthy neighborhood. The cab's driver seemed unsure of whether to be flattered that a possible starlet was in his car or angered by the fact he had been forced to drive all the way to the edge town only to be obliged to drive all the way back.

Kagome slumped to the side in the backseat, leaning her head against the window pain. She knew it was dirty, but she was too tired to care. The events from the night before were still playing in her mind.

_She had nearly stumbled again as she made her way to the waiting limo with Inuyasha at her side. He caught before she could fall flat on her face in the newly fitted evening gown. Inuyasha righted her, his hand lingering on a small jewel flower attached to her hip. Kagome looked down to see what exactly he was doing when she felt a small tug on her dress._

"Just a bit of red fuzz," Inuyasha said as he gently pushed her into the waiting limo. Kagome gave him a questioning look, which he returned. Something had changed in his eyes…they looked softer somehow. She couldn't tell if she liked the change or not.

She was even more surprised when he not only helped her out of the car, but was extremely attentive while they walked into the party which had been set up on the outside patio of a mansion sized house. Tables were scattered below a large dais and a massive dance floor flanked both, though few seemed to be dancing at the moment. Despite a small orchestra was set up and playing on the far side of the, most of the people were mingling over the entire set up. Kagome felt herself tense at the sound of her sister's name announcing her presence to the event along with Inuyasha. The mass amount of celebrities was not helping her nervousness. What if someone recognized her as Kikyou and asked her something…what if Inuyasha started being as ass again…what if…

"So what's the game plan, my dear? Aren't we supposed to be rocking the boat a bit?" Inuyasha broke through her thoughts as she whispered in her ear.

"We're supposed to make everyone think we're about to get engaged," she hissed back as they passed an elegantly dressed woman who nodded and smiled at them both.

"So what do you want to do?" Inuyasha nodded a man wearing a purple pimp suit. When the man returned the gesture with a grin, his spread lips revealed two rows of golden teeth.

"Lets just walk for now." Kagome whispered back, trying to save time.

Kagome was beginning to panic. She didn't remember what it was like to be happy in a relationship. How was she supposed to act like she would willingly accept a proposal of marriage from the man next to her?

Kouga. Think of him before he dumped you and left you out in the cold and ultimately broke your heart.

Kagome sucked in a nervous breath, trying to gain inspiration from the small bit of happiness she had had from her ex. He always remembered her birthday, or at least the one she had while they were together…no that wasn't working…The way he would let her chose the movie…no that was an all out lie…Kouga would make her coffee on her long study sessions…and then drank it all for himself and promptly left her to study all alone in the library.

Had anything gone right in their relationship?

Her eyes flicked up to Inuyasha. Inuyasha…

Kagome's mind snapped to a collage of images of the hanyou. Fighting her for the cereal, slipping her his number behind Sango's back, sneaking out of the dress shop with her, Inuyasha dripping wet after she tossed a glass of water in her face.

A smile couldn't help to slid across her lips. She felt happy, but she had to do it in the way Kikyou showed happiness. Kikyou was never giddy with love, but Kagome could remember her on her wedding day, she had practically glowed. Combining the two ideas courting happiness in her mind, Kagome began to do her best act as her poised sister when in love.

Unbeknownst to her, Inuyasha was watching her as she forced herself into her role. First, she looked scared, then she looked sad which quickly morphed into brilliant happiness, and finally now, she looked like a beaming Kikyou…or as best Kikyou ever beamed.

Again, he found himself confused by the woman on his arm. He had found the string he had planted on the dress on her, so Kagome was Kikyou. But what did that even mean? How was it that the carefree woman who snuck away from her watchdog and dosed water in his face and would fight him for cereal in public be the poised and refined Kikyou who was perched on his arm? It didn't make any sense. Even though she was not aware of whom the hanyou really was, it still made him angry that she was lying to him. She was lying to one of his halves and it made him want to shake her and demand she explain herself.

As long as he had fawned over Kikyou, his costar and the one he had always known, for some reason, he now found himself hoping this new side, the one who called herself Kagome, would be the real one…

"I asked if you wanted to dance." Kikyou was saying, obviously for the second time. She was looking at him with her cold eyes, but a small smile played on the edges of her lips.

Which was the real Kikyou?

A sharp bump in the rode broke her away from her thoughts. The evening all in all had been a success—if there had been anyone in Hollywood who didn't believe that Kikyou and Inuyasha were a couple before, they had been happily corrected—but she couldn't help feeling guilty using her memories of Inuyasha the hanyou to make herself the blushing arm candy of the black-haired actor.

It was silly and childish and something she should be far past, but no, she had a crush on the hanyou. The more she thought about him, the happier she was, despite the fact she had only met him twice. There was just something about him she couldn't place, something familiar…

She paid the driver when he stopped the cab on campus, pleased he had dropped her off at the correct building at the university. In the past, she had found most cab drivers would go no further than the school's entrance, so she had foreseen a sprint across campus to be there in time.

With her extra time, Kagome mulled about the outside of the building, remembering her happier days as a student. She was staring up into one of the higher windows that had been a favorite classroom when she felt a tap on her shoulder.

Spinning quickly in her expectation of Inuyasha, Kagome found her smile quickly failing as she looked into the eyes of Kouga.

"K-Kouga?" Her throat was dry in an instant. "What are you doing here?"

"I was going to ask you the same thing too, babe," he flashed her his trademark sly smile, leaning in to kiss her while at the same time his arm slid around her waist. Any other time, Kagome would have willingly accepted his greeting, but the thought of Inuyasha popped into her mind, and she pushed herself out of his arms.

"I—I was waiting for a friend," Kagome stuttered out. To this day Kouga put her on edge. She didn't trust him, not only because he had dumped her, but also now that she was no longer infatuated with him, there was something in his manner that made her more than a little uneasy. Looking around for Inuyasha, Kagome was disappointed to see him nowhere. He was going to be late soon, and she needed him to be there.

Looking back to Kouga, Kagome found him closing in on her.

"I've been trying to reach you lately, Kags. I've missed you, babes."

"But you dumped me." Kagome growled out backing away quickly as he stalked her across entrance of the building.

"Right, I dumped you, and you still want me. Its not like you were the one who left…come on babe, I know you missed me," he took a step closer reaching for her when his hand was roughly grabbed but an unseen force and shoved roughly behind his back.

Kagome nearly jumped out of her skin as Kouga was attacked, but felt a flood of relief when she looked up from her half cower to see that it was Inuyasha who had come to her rescue.

He pushed Kouga down to the ground violently, stretching his arm up at a painful angle while at the same time pushing his shoulder into the pavement. Pressing his knee into Kouga's back, Inuyasha looked up at Kagome.

"You all right? He looked like he was bothering you, and you smelled scared." Inuyasha smirked up at her, locking her eyes while at the same time he gave Kouga's arm another painful twist, emitting a sharp cry from the wolf.

Kagome blushed. "I'm fine now that you're here," she returned his smile.

Meanwhile, Kouga was growling. "Kagome would never be afraid of me!" He tried to throw off Inuyasha, but only succeeded in getting his face further crushed into the pavement.

"You know him?" Inuyasha asked, looking a little confused as to why Kagome—Kikyou, whoever she was—would associate with scumbags like him.

She's practically slumming with your hanyou form, you know.

Kagome sighed, looking down at Kouga. "He's my ex. He dumped me, and I guess thought since I had returned to school, that I was looking for him."

"You were, weren't you?" Kouga asked in all innocence, trying and failing to look at her from where Inuyasha was forcing him and the ground to become very romantically involved.

Inuyasha's mind was whirling as he listened to the exchange. _Kikyou had had a boyfriend. She must do this often…don the school girl disguise and pick up some guy for a while…try to have a normal relationship out of the lime light._ Somehow, he didn't like this idea. Kagome deserved better than this guy, yet she was willingly seeking them out. _Why do you think she wanted to be with you idiot? She just wants a good time away from it all. When Brad Pitt comes knocking on her door you and your hanyou ass are as good as gone._

Inuyasha audibly growled. Fiercely grounding the wolf's body and face into the ground one final time to vent his frustration at the woman above him, he released Kouga in standing himself.

"Stay away from Kagome, all right?" Inuyasha commanded.

Rubbing his chin, Kouga looked from the hanyou to his ex girlfriend, then nodded before trotting away.

When she was sure he was gone, Kagome turned to Inuyasha. "Look, thanks for—"

"You can save it," Inuyasha snarled.

Bewildered and a little hurt, all Kagome could do was stare at Inuyasha.

"Look, something's come up. I'll see you around." Inuyasha gave her one final looked that for all Kagome could see was confused and angry, and dashed off.

Kagome gulped. _What have I done now?_

XXXXXXXXXXXXX

Inuyasha rushed around the corner. He was going to explode. Without looking at his reflection in one of the window, he knew his eyes were flashing red. _Why am I being so damn possessive?_

He knew why. A woman he liked was using him. Kikyou was using him by pretending to be this Kagome. And she had evidently done this before—he was one of in a string of non-famous boyfriends Kikyou was using to get her kicks by pretending to be someone else.

He had only met _Kagome_, but the thought of her just playing a part unnerved him and threw off his demon side to no end.

Walking back a ways he peaked around the corner of the building at Kagome. She looked so sad even though there was no one to play to.

You'll have her either way. Inuyasha must marry Kikyou, and Kikyou and Kagome are one and the same.

Somehow the thought didn't comfort him as much as he thought it would. He wanted Kagome.

XXXXXXXXX

**A/N: **Ok I hope this is making more sense. I have to admit that before I was a little unsure of how to get where I needed to be and now I think I see an actual direction for this story. I hope I'm not being too redundant in some parts, but I want to make sure everyone understands what's going on.

As far as Kouga, I know he's fairly out of character, but I'm kind of going for a caricature of him and his inability to see that Kagome doesn't care for him "like that". I know he's not usually seen as "creepy" but hey, I need a plot device as to why Kagome is afraid of him.


	7. Matrimony's Dark Sprial Begins Part 1

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Inuyasha. I'm playing. Leave me alone.

**A/N: **This is only half of this chapter. The second half is written in my travel journal and I have an insanely snoopy, fan fiction-distaining roommate who will further dig into my personal life and laugh at me if she sees me copying stuff from my diary to my computer. I wanted to get you guys at least something out, and I don't know when the next time I'll have the room to myself. Don't worry, Part II is coming soon.

Chapter 7

Kagome stumbled home, feeling a freezing cold wrapping around her. She felt ill and was at more than a complete lose to understand what had just happened.

_Inuyasha seemed so angry. So what if I had an ex? Doesn't everyone?_

It was almost too much: first seeing Kouga again and then Inuyasha rejecting her. It was an emotional roller coaster she didn't want to be one under the present circumstances.

Retracing her way, she found herself back at Kikyou's house much sooner than she would have liked. She wanted to be at her sister's home even less when she realized they had discovered her absence.

Shoulders slumped and, in no emotional state to deal with Kikyou's wrath, Kagome made her way passed the security guards who offered her only a puzzled nod before muttering in their walky-talkies to report that the prodigal sister had come home.

Before Kagome could cover half of Kikyou's finely trimmed lawn, the front doors to the house burst open and Kikyou flew out, Sango on her heels. It was obvious she was angry but was trying to remain calm.

"Where have you been?" Kikyou demanded. She did not shout—Kikyou never shouted—but there was an edge on her voice telling a practiced ear Kikyou was unhappy.

Kagome opened her mouth to explain, but only a soft sob came out. Swallowing under the slightly-soften glare Kikyou was still giving her, she tried again. "I—I went ou—t," Kagome managed before she launched herself into her sister's arms and began to cry. Kikyou exchanged a surprised looked with Sango, but still wrapped her arms around her distraught sibling. All her anger was deflated at the site of Kagome's tears. Kagome may have been hiding something, but she was also upset.

Detaching her sister, Kikyou pulled Kagome into a half hug, one arm tightly holding her shoulder, and began to lead both of them back to the house.

"Come on, let's get you inside, Kags. We'll make tea and you can tell me what's wrong," Kikyou cooed.

Kagome nodded and wiped away a tear. There was no way she could tell her sister what was going on. Kikyou would be furious she had put the entire charade at risk.

XXXXXXXXXX

Inuyasha stood in his darkened bedroom. The only light was the open window blowing the long curtains into the room.

The half demon was thinking, and that was never a good thing.

Looking into his full-length mirror, he couldn't help by glower at the hanyou image staring back at him.

She's lying to you. You have been nothing but one of many distractions for a spoiled actress. "Kagome" is nothing more than a part for Kikyou to play…

Inuyasha outwardly snarled at the mirror now. He had acted in too many chick flicks and not only was it turning it soft, it was making him think like a mopping girl.

A hesitant knock on the door announced Miroku. He did not wait for permission to enter, just let his friend know he was coming in.

"I thought you were going to be out all night with _Kagome_," he joked, but his demenor changed at the sight of Inuyasha flexing his claws at him.

"There is no Kagome," said simply.

Miroku shook his head. "No, you remember Kagome. You fought her for a bag of cereal and she kicked your ass." Miroku mused for a moment before he began to tidy Inuyasha's room. He paused for a moment to think, dirty shirt in hand, "Kagome…you were supposed to go on a date with her. You know, you may have hit your head a little too hard in that last stunt for _Big Explosions by Big Guns_, I think its affecting your memory if you can't remember Kagome, or is it that you really do prefer rent boys?"

Inuyasha snarled and leaped at his friend. Miroku was ready and simply side stepped. Inuyasha landed in a pile of filthy designer jeans. He wanted to get up and rip Miroku to shreds, but he was feeling a little overwhelmed today.

"That's not what I mean! Kagome is Kikyou, Kagome doesn't exist." He growled, letting his head drop in defeat. He shot back up the instant his nose touched his dirty laundry…if only he washed his clothes more often…

"I don't understand," Miroku said over his should. He was plucking up sweatpants and dropping it in a discarded wash basket.

"I figured it out," Inuyasha rolled over onto his back. Propping his head up with one hand, he let the other lay on his stomach. "Kikyou has been slumming. You remember I told you about that red string I put on Kagome's dress?"

Miroku nodded. He had pulled a pair of pink plastic gloves from his jacket and was now handling Inuyasha's underwear.

"I found it on Kikyou's dress the other night. I thought—I guessed she was just looking for someone out of all this Hollywood mess. But then when I went to pick _Kagome_ up last night, one of her exes was there. He was a complete ass and she was clearly afraid of the guy."

"So?" Miroku asked through the vent in his gas mask.

"Don't you get it?" Inuyasha demanded jolting up. "She's using me, just like she used that other guy. I'm just a night on the town for her before she leaves me."

Miroku lifted the mask so he could speak clearly. "You sound like a girl. What are you doing with her? Isn't what your describing casual dating?"

Inuyasha flashed his fangs. "I know that idiot! It's my youkai that's a problem. It likes Kagome. It likes Kagome, more than it ever did Kikyou. Then to know she is parading around with other men and putting on this innocent act and to lie—that's the problem." He stood completely and stomped back to the mirror.

"Fair enough," Miroku shrugged. He lowed the gas mask—you never could be too careful clearing Inuyasha's room—and pulled up the pink gloves before delving under the hanyou's bed.

"I'm not going to see her again—at least not like this," Inuyasha motioned to the mirror he was now standing before. "I guess I don't have much of a choice _never_ to be in Kikyou's presence again." Miroku looked up from his cleaning, giving Inuyasha his attention.

Most would have missed it, but as one of Inuyasha's oldest friends Miroku caught the ever-so-slight droop in his ears: a classic sign Inuyasha was wallowing in self pity.

"I don't see what you're so upset about," Miroku spoke even though his words were muffled as he yanked off the gas mask and tossed it on top of the basket with the dirty clothes. The pink gloves followed. "You're getting the girl. Kikyou. Remember? The one who has already ignored you—it was your fifth movie together she would give you the time of day. _Kikyou_ is being delivered to you on a silver platter. Buck up man."

If anything, Miroku's speech caused Inuyasha's ears to flatten farther on his head. "I don't want Kikyou anymore." With that, he whispered the words to the ancient glamour that had hid many a hanyou before him.

Turning back to Miroku with his now violet eyes, Inuyasha growled. "I'm doomed to always want I can not have. I want Kagome."

XXXXXXXXXXXX

Kikyou tapped her perfectly lacquered nails on the pristine glass tabletop in the executive boardroom of Dreamstone Pictures.

_I'm becoming quite a regular here, _she thought as she waited for the members of the board to deem her worthy enough to address her. Tired of the game they were playing, she shuffled in her blazer pocket and popped out her cigarette case and lighter. Blowing a perfect smoke ring with her lips, she smirked that she had the attention of at least some of the junior members of the board.

Seeing she was no longer suffering under stillness of the room, the CEO flashed Kikyou a glare at her lack of reverence in his presence then began to explain why she had been called.

"You were right, your sister has done a brilliant job convincing everyone in Hollywood you are head over heels with Inuyasha. _They_ are practically the royalty of Hollywood couples," he flashed Kikyou a grim smile as he offered her a stiff nod.

"But?" Kikyou blew another smoke ring. This one floated up, before coming back down to explode on the tabletop. A junior member of the board winked at her and Kikyou rolled her eyes back.

"But?" The CEO echoed. "Not _but_, but and. They are doing well _and _it is time to step things up a notch; and it is time for Inuyasha to propose."

Kikyou clutched her lighter in her hand. She had hoped it would not come to this—at least not so soon. Saying as much to the members of the board, she was only met with the CEO's cold dry laughter.

"You must have forgotten how this works. If you've got it, sell it Kikyou. Inuyasha and your sister are the hottest couple in Hollywood. It is promoting your movie like wild fire and no one remembers that Inuyasha was in a scandal with a go-go boy. There's more to sell and that is the marriage itself."

"I understand, and Kagome does too. I just think this is going to fast."

"Fast Kikyou? Don't be stupid—I know you're not. This is a celebrity marriage. It will be over and buried by the end of the year."

_Poor Kagome._ Kikyou felt a stab of pain for her little sister. _This could ruin her._

Kagome had been distant and mopping since she had come home the night before. She had been very un-Kagome. Something was upsetting her, and Kikyou had a feeling it was the pressure of all this. Kagome had been dropped into this world against her will and had no way of defending herself. Not for the first time, Kikyou regretted dragging her little sister into her world.

And the worst part was Kagome wasn't acting like herself. She wouldn't talk about anything, and Kagome was usually very open.

Kikyou sighed. "I'll let her know. When should she be really to take dog face's ring?" Kikyou smirked at her nickname for her co-star.

"Tonight."

Kikyou's eye's narrowed. "Fine." She spun gracefully on her heels, flicking her still-burning cigarette over her shoulder on to some files piled in the middle of the table. The papers quickly ignited and the sound of the overly sensitive fire alarms covered the sound of Kikyou's clicking stilettos.

XXXXXXXXXXXX

**A/N: **Yeah, I know I'm getting repetitious and this is far from my best, but I'm tired. I spent Saturday night on the airport floor, I'm still recovering from spring break, I've had two plays and two midterms this week, and I think I'm getting a cold. Could be bird flu for all I know. I'm also trying to be clearer, there was some confusion about the last chapter. Hell, even I'm confused. But hold tight—this is only the first half of the chapter, and I promise it will have more stuff going in the next one.


	8. Matrimony's Dark Sprial Begins Part 2

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Inuyasha.

**A/N: **Here it is, Part Two. Probably not as long as I would have liked, but it is only half a chapter. If everything goes according to plan, the story should pick up some speed from this.

Thanks to my grammar police. I know this story also has a lot of inconsistencies in the plot, so I'll fix the language problems then when I fix those. I was thinking I would just do one massive clean up when I get finished. I would do it now, but I'm sure I'll have more mistakes later, and I always hate when an author fixes something and I have that moment of joy when I think they've put up a new chapter until my soul is crushed and my hope is killed because they decided to delete a semi-colon.

Chapter 8

Kagome's hands shook a little in her lap. She was trying to hide the tremor from Kikyou, but that wasn't really working out too well. Said sibling reached out and plucked one of Kagome's hands from her lap.

"We've both knew this was coming, Kagome. I just thought you would have more time to adjust to Inuyasha before…"

Kagome nodded. She was confused as hell. How was she supposed to make a marriage—even a fake one—work? She couldn't even keep a guy on a date…

"He will propose tonight at dinner, so you'll have to be ready for the paparazzi. We better get your hair and make-up done." Kikyou stood, her arm sliding up to Kagome's shoulder grasping it in an encouraging way.

Kagome for her part did not move. She was starting at the tablecloth. As if Inuyasha's rejection earlier was not enough now she was being proffered off onto another man.

At least you'll never have to explain to Inuyasha why you're married and trying to date him…

XXXXXXXX

Kagome stared at her reflection in the mirror. She might have felt empty inside, but her outer shell looked pale and fiery and beautiful.

She looked like Kikyou.

Maybe like Kikyou, someone could love her.

It didn't work for Inuyasha the hanyou, could it work for Inuyasha the actor?

Kagome carefully wiped away the tear that was starting fall, being watchful of her eye makeup. This wasn't how she pictured the night she got engaged. It wasn't even close.

XXXXXXXX

The room was dark being lit only by candlelight. Kagome's heels clicked on the smooth tile as she followed Inuyasha and the waiter to their table set off from the rest of the well-dressed dinners. Kagome scrunched her fingers together, try to get felling back into the digits. _Breath_, she thought. She could do this. 

Not that she had much of a choice anyway.

_Is this how I pictured the night I get engaged: longing for another, annoyed with the future groom, lonely?_ Her mind hissed at her. The sheer gravity of what Kikyou had asked of her had came crashing down. Kagome felt a stab of anger at her sister. How could Kikyou ask her to be so selfless? She was giving up a lot of Kikyou, but it was too late to change anything _now_. It had been too late to get out for some time. Kagome pushed back the fury she was feeling. She had given her word, and she would have to live with that.

Kagome nodded stiffly at the waiter who pulled out her chair. Her Kikyou routine was thrown a bit off when Inuyasha pushed the man out of the way so he could be the one to seat her. The actor had spent most of the limo ride over ignoring her or glaring in her direction. At the time she hadn't been able to think of anything she had said or done to make him angry, and his behavior still mystified her. Not that it mattered anyway. Thanking Inuyasha with a small murmur, she adjusted herself in the chair. Her hands were shaking so violently she had to keep them buried in her lap.

Once Inuyasha had taken his seat the servers began to bring out food and wine—everything being chosen beforehand by the restaurant manager so when the two celebrities were photographed by a loose paparazzi the eatery would have free publicity for its pricier food.

After the small army of attendants had left the table, Inuyasha leaned back in his cushy chair. He stretched high over his head, slowly bringing his hands down until he could dig in his pockets. For a moment he searched then pulled something out, dropping it on Kagome's side of the table. Glancing down at it, Kagome could make out it was a small, black box.

"You want to do this now or later, wench?" He growled.

Eyes going wide, Kagome looked at the box, back up to Inuyasha, and down again at the small velvet covered container. She knew she was either going to cry or be sick.

_Not how I pictured this at all_, she thought as her shoulder blades sunk into her back. Looking up at Inuyasha she found him staring at her. _Great. And now I'm out of character. Again._

"Might a well get this over with," Kagome adjusted her voice to sound breezy and bored and sat up straight. This would just be another job to Kikyou if she were the one in the chair Kagome reminded herself. Reaching out with a very practiced grace, she plucked up the box flipping the lid open with the ease Kikyou flipped on a lighter and gently tugged out the ring. She swallowed hard before continuing. Staring Inuyasha in the eye, and with a small glowing smile for the drooling paparazzi she knew were lurking in the shadows, she said a little louder than was needed, "Why of course I'll marry you Inuyasha! I thought you would never ask."

No turning back.

XXXXXXXX

Kagome slid into the limo and was closely followed by Inuyasha. Dark gray clouds had started to swarm the restaurant much like the pack of reporters waiting with their cameras and notepads just outside the entrance. It looked like a storm was coming and that made Kagome shiver against the cold leather of the back seat.

Inuyasha was hulking over the window, ignoring her completely. Kagome sighed.

So this is what its like to be engaged.

She felt cheated in so many ways. This was not how she had imagined the beginnings of her married life at all. It wasn't even how she had pictured things with Inuyasha—the actor. Somehow she had hopped they would at least become friends and maybe something more would come from that. But she had been a fool. He resented her—or resented Kikyou and thus vicariously hated her—for whatever reason.

It didn't matter who or why her future husband showed her so much animosity, it was the fact he clearly did not like her that made everything hurt.

Without thinking about it, Kagome sighed again.

"Could you stop fucking moaning!" Inuyasha snapped at her. He had turned away from the window and was staring fiercely at her. "I'm not any happier about this damn mess, but I can at least pretend to be."

Kagome's first instinct was to cower at his words, but she was too tired of letting him and everyone else walk over her. She was too tired of the mess she was in. "If I remember correctly I'm helping you fix your problem! You're the one half the world thinks has a thing for rent boys!"

Inuyasha looked like he was going to hit her. Kagome wished she had just kept her mouth shut. For once, without even trying, she had sounded like Kikyou. The man sitting next to her looked so hurt.

Kagome started to say something to try and smooth things over, but Inuyasha spoke first.

"If we want this thing to work and not blow up in our faces, you're going to have to watch your mouth wench. I know we don't like each other, but you don't have be such a bitch."

Kagome felt her stomach churn. Without thinking, she reached out for the glass dividing them from the driver and knocked frantically. Inuyasha didn't even look at her.

"Yes, Miss?" The diver asked politely as the window rolled down painfully slowly.

"Stop the car, please," Kagome managed out in a tone that could almost pass as steady.

"But we're no where near—"

"I said to stop the car," Kagome hissed.

"Yes Miss," he answered, pulling over to the curb.

The instant the vehicle stopped, Kagome had the door open and was running out into the night.

XXXXXXXX

It had started to rain. No, not just rain, a downpour. Kagome's clothes were soaked through within a few seconds; the designer gown was more than likely ruined but Kagome could care less. She didn't know why she had left the limo, but it had been a physical urge to get away from Inuyasha.

Stumbling blindly through the wall of water, she made out the lights of a phone booth not far away. Somehow—she wasn't even sure how—she made it to the glass door. With slippery and cold hands, Kagome managed to pull the metal handle open and get inside and out of the rain.

With her hands shaking as they had since she had been told she was going to be engaged earlier that day, Kagome lifted the receiver and dialed a number she had long ago committed to memory.

The phone rang and rang and rang and no one answered. The rain still poured heavily outside the phone booth.

"_This is Inuyasha…leave a message or don't…I don't really give a fuck…" _The answering machine finally picked up. The voice coming out through the receiver sounded so lifeless compared to the real thing. All the cold from the rain sunk into Kagome's skin and she shivered violently.

"Inuyasha?" Her voice squeaked painfully. "I know you're not there, and I don't really have a way for you to reach me, but I…I guess I just needed a friend to talk to. I'm sorry things didn't work out between us. Don't worry. I won't bother you anymore…"

XXXXXXXX

Later that night, Inuyasha came home and punched the blinking light on his answering machine. He was more than a little angry with himself for the way he had treated Kagome—Kikyou. Whoever the hell she was.

He had just snapped when the girl had really started to remind him of the Kikyou he used to know: the callous one who ignored his attempts to get her to notice him. The idea of living married life with the woman who had been in the car and rubbed his scandal in his face seemed now unbearable after seeing what she could be like in the from of Kagome.

Still, he had been an ass.

His attention was brought back abruptly to his messages. He listened to the dead sound of Kagome's voice pouring out of the machine.

So things didn't go well and she came running to the hanyou? Maybe he had been wrong and he could make it up to her. Inuyasha knew he was fooling himself with hope that Kikyou hadn't been manipulating him, but denial was one of his hobbies.

They were going to be getting married after all and he might as well make the most of it.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXX

**A/N:** Hope you guys liked it. Sorry I took fucking forever to post this, but I have a million little reasons why I wasn't able to get it up when I wanted to. I won't bore you with them, but like I said above, I think I'll be able to get more chapters up faster now that it is summer so the story will start moving. No promises though except that I'll try. I really would like to get this story done by the summer's end, so I'm working toward that goal.


	9. Television Smokes

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Inuyasha. That adorable puppy show belongs to Rumiko Takahashi and Viz Productions.

**A/N: **See? I can still update. Shoulders slump

Also while I was writing this, I kept feeling a bit confused. I ran it by Beatrix, but if you ever wonder which Kagome/Kikyou or Inuyasha is which PLEASE do not hesitate to let me know and I'll fix it as soon as I can.

stormiepe and every one else who reviewed: Thanks for the motivation.

I am really really lost on the plot for this one; I have basically forgotten it. I had most of this chapter written over the summer, but couldn't decide what should happen next. I really want to finish this fic because even though it is a horrid piece of shit, in direct comparison to my other stories I think its one of my better ones, and still has some potential. So while I'm on break from the jaws of school, I'm going to go back, re-read it and try to come up with a usable outline—one I will not lose or miss place. Har.

Chapter 9 

Kagome smiled at the guy leaning across the table so he toy with a lock of her hair. He smiled at her, and her grin couldn't help but widen.

He twirled the dark curl around his finger for a moment before sliding his fingers up to tuck the strand behind her ear.

Kagome blushed and giggled when he leaned even closer to brush a quick kiss over her lips.

"Inuyasha," she murmured and latched onto one of his white forelocks to draw him in for another, longer lip lock.

When he pulled back again, Kagome couldn't help but notice something about him was amiss. It confused her.

His hair was long and white as always, but she quickly noticed his ears—the soft puppy triangles—were missing. The hanyou had human ears and his eyes were the bright violet of a non-demon. Yet he still had the fangs and claws of a hanyou. Her mind could not quite wrap itself around this fusion of the two Inuyashas.

She blinked and the man before her changed again: hair turning inky black and eyes blinking to amber. White ears poked out of the dark hair, but the claws and fangs were replaced with duller human versions.

"Kagome," he breathed. In spite of confusion, Kagome smiled at him.

"Kagome." His voice seemed more urgent.

"Kagome! Christ, if you don't get out of bed this instant—"

Kagome shot up in bed, breathing hard. She wasn't sitting in some small cafe staring into the loving eyes of Inuyasha; she was in her room in Kikyou's house with a miffed Sango looming over her. Her sister's assistant was impeccably dressed as always, her long hair falling loosely over the tight black button up shirt that hugged her curves. A black skirt matched, and one her shiny black heels was already tapping impatiently.

"May I be the first to offer my congratulations, Miss Higurashi?" Sango smirked down at her as she passed Kagome a morning tabloid. There was a heavy sarcasm in her tone that Kagome found rather reassuring. At least someone could make a joke about the entire mess.

Taking the paper, Kagome pushed herself up so she could lean against the headboard. "Thank you, Sango."

Sango only grunted in return. She was busily tapping on her palm pilot, balancing the device on her clipboard. "Alright Kagome, the wedding is in a month so we have a lot to get done."

Kagome froze. "A month?" She dropped the paper in her lap, crushing the seemingly happy picture of her and Inuyasha from the night before.

Sango paused in her actions as she looked at Kagome over the rims of her tiny reading glasses. "Is that a problem?"

Her attempted to sound confident failed, "No, not at all. Its just so…soon."

"Kagome, this is Hollywood. People have _extremely_ short attention spans. If we waited any longer everyone would get bored and it would all be for nothing. Sorry, but it has to be now or never." Sango's voice took on a tone that reminded Kagome painfully of an annoyed teacher explaining a remedial lesson to an extremely slow pupil.

She tried to recover some respect in the eyes of the older woman. "Can everything be arranged in a month?"

Sango smiled cunningly. "That's the perk of being in Hollywood. Everyone rushes to help a star who wants to get married in a hurry so they can cash in too. I could have you guys hitched in a week with all the fan fair the executes drool over—the extra time is only to draw out the suspense."

Her head dropped back down to the schedule on the screen in front of her. "We need to get you dressed so you can go on the morning talk show circuit with Inuyaa…shaa…SHIT!"

"What?" Kagome asked nervously.

"I put one of Kikyou's appointments down as yours. She's supposed to do the morning shows because a few of them are going to talk about the movie and for some reason one wants Kikyou to reenact a stunt. Looks like you have the morning off, kid. Consider it a snow day," Sango spoke slowly as she continued tapping on the screen. "I will be back after lunch though. You have to get measured for your gown." Looking up, she smiled at Kagome. "We've had _hundreds_ of designers call since last night. Everyone wants to have Kikyou wearing their dress on her wedding day."

Kagome looked down at her hands. She knew whichever gown Kikyou and Sango chose would be beautiful, but she was the one who was going to have to live with and wear their decision. _I don't even get pick out my own wedding dress_.

She looked up to find Sango staring at her. "It will ultimately be Kikyou's choice which gown goes down the aisle Kagome, but you can have a say in which one you want."

A broad by very goofy grin spread over Kagome's face. Shopping for a wedding dress was like a cool balm for the ache she had been feeling since the night before.

XXXXXXXXX

Kikyou knew Kagome was upset. She knew things had not gone well with the proposal even if everything looked flawless in the eyes of the press. Inuyasha had fucked up again somehow and hurt Kagome. It made her want to do what she did to all of Kagome's erring boyfriends: make him suffer. Nothing would give her greater joy than to pin the prim-Madonna actor to a wall by his throat and as he slowly choked to death, she would make sure he didn't fuck around with Kagome, emphasizing her points by burning cigarettes into his flesh. It would be a waste of smokes, but for Kagome she was willing to make the sacrifice.

Her murderous thoughts were giving her trouble. She couldn't keep her hands from shaking as she sat beside Inuyasha on the couch. All she wanted to do was light up a fucking cigarette, suck it dry, and when it was almost gone, put it out in her costar's groin.

The fantasy of Inuyasha howling in pain was cut short as the talk show host directed a question at her. Something about the "deeper meaning" of the film. Kikyou had to stifle a snort. Their film had barely had a coherent script much less any meaning.

She went for the old stand by: "I don't know, Bob. I feel like there are so many levels to this movie, everyone can find their own meaning," she winked at the host, grinning as the aged man blushed.

_Far too easy_, Kikyou purred in her mind. She allowed her thoughts to drift back to torture and mayhem.

XXXXXXXXXX

Inuyasha was watching the woman on the couch next to him. Was she drunk? It was like the night before hadn't happened at all to her. Or perhaps it meant nothing to her.

Why should it mean anything? It was all arranged, all fabricated and it shouldn't mean anything.

But it meant something to him, and the night before he had thought it meant something to Kagome. When he had set the ring box down in front of her, she had been…happy. Then of course he had been an ass and opened his mouth. He had _seen_ the disappointment wash over her in slow motion at any imaginable depth in his words; he had been able to see, with a physical jerk, when she turned on her charm for the cameras. It was like she had wanted to be happy, but couldn't be.

_Maybe because she hates you_, a tiny voice whispered in his head.

He had been though this before—ever since the night before _Kagome_ had called the phone line he only gave when he was a hanyou. She said she needed a friend. What did that even mean for _him_, the man she was engaged to?

Kami, this was a confusing mess. Confusing as fuck.

XXXXXXXXXX

Without Sango or the stagehands noticing, Kikyou smuggled her tiny cigarette purse onto the stage of the second morning show. The first one had been agony, listening to that crusty only man drone on and on about "importance" of their movie's "message". Then there had been the endless questions about "their" wedding. Where was the ceremony to be held, who would be there, where were they going on their honeymoon, why was she supposed to fucking care? Sitting next to the man who was being a fucker to her little sister was not helping either.

Their second show for the day was for the teen crowd. Kikyou hated kids. She gave her cigarette pouch a squeeze to reassure herself.

"If you start smoking on stage, they'll flip," Inuyasha warned. They had about five minutes before taping began and they were sitting side beside on a gigantic, overstuffed covered in a disturbingly long coat of purple fur.

Kikyou snorted so loudly several of the sound guys looked up to see where the noise had come from. "Why do you give a fuck? Its not like you're my husband or anything," she cooed and leaned over, grabbed his chin and forcefully kissed him on the cheek.

Inuyasha tried to fight her off, but she only laughed at him, her nails still digging into his skin. "Oh Inuyasha," she gave a husky whisper as she let him go. She had always like to fuck with him.

XXXXXXXX

Inuyasha's mind felt like it was on fire. _What in the fuck was going on?_

But he knew the answer before he even had to ask: Kikyou was playing with him. Toying with him like she always had. There had been a time when he had been infatuated with her sexy confidence, her apathy of other people's feelings.

Now it made him sick. Why couldn't she just be like Kagome all the time? Why did she have to keep up the constant bitch act?

He stole a look at her from out of the corner of his eye. She had hidden the cigarette purse between them and was easing her its clasp open with one hand while at the same time keeping a watchful eye on the people around them.

Inuyasha looked at her hand, the long, smooth fingers tugging on a white cigarette. The diamond in her engagement glistened under the bright studio lights.

Wait a second… 

He had picked the ring up before the date he had been supposed to go on with "Kagome" otherwise he doubted he would have put half as much thought into it. Inuyasha couldn't say he had agonized over the decision, but he had spent more than a few minutes tugging on his hair in frustration while loudly cursing the gods who made so many damn rings that all looked the same, but were just different enough to make it impossible for him to chose the right one.

In the studio, under the stage lighting, he was sure as hell the right Kikyou was wearing was not the right he had given her the night before.

He opened his mouth to say something, demand an answer, but the host—in all her midriff-pierced glory—had taken her seat and they were counting down the seconds until they would be on air.

Inuyasha considered reaching into the cigarette pouch stuck between him and Kikyou and joining his costar in her addiction.

XXXXXXXXX

Sango watched from the wings as Inuyasha and Kikyou were grilled for the third time about their new movie. She was bored and frustrated as they were, her mind on the many other things she could and needed to be doing at the moment. The only reason why Kikyou insisted she be there was to make sure the make up girls were doing their jobs.

Looking to the other side of the stage, she noticed someone in the wings opposite where she was standing. Tall, dark, dangerously handsome…she knew she had seen the man before, but couldn't place him. Even the black suit with its purple shirt and tie set looked familiar. The man kept watching Inuyasha, occasionally mouthing some of the actor's answers along with him. Obviously he was here with Kikyou's costar, but why was he so familiar?

Shrugging the feeling off after filing the man's face in her mind, Sango when back to cursing the clock.

XXXXXXXXX

Kagome watched dismally from her bed as Inuyasha and Kikyou chatted on the television about their up coming movie and marriage. She was both tired and emotionally drained from the night before.

Cringing, she remembered her call to Inuyasha, the hanyou. What had she been thinking? He didn't want to talk to her on normal footing, much less hear her problems.

Kagome clicked off the television at the sound of a knock on the door. She called for the person to enter and instantly Sango appeared in the door's frame.

"Not even out of bed yet?" Sango purred. The good mood of her sister's assistant was calming to Kagome's mood. She shook her head in response.

Sango checked her clipboard again. "We need to leave soon to be at the dress maker's in time for your appointment. Today they're just going to take your measurements and then we can start looking for gowns."

XXXXXXX


	10. Male Stupidity Rears its Ugly Head

**Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha. Inuyasha is the property of Rumiko Takahashi and Viz Productions.**

**A/N: Sorry for all edits, but is cracking down on disclaimers—not only do I have to say that I don't own the show, and also _who_ owns it. I get that, but what pisses me off is that while I was perusing my favorites to find a complete disclaimer to model my own off of, I found most people have less of a disclaimer than I do, some not at all. I feel like I'm on this site's black list. Moral of the story, don't have a potty mouth and update your disclaimers ASAP!**

**I've missed writing so much, and it's taken a really long time to get this chapter completed. School is really wearing me down this year, but I am about to graduate from college! Thanks so much to everyone who reviewed, and kept faith that one day I might actually update. It means a lot, and I promise to keep working.**

**On that note, by my rotation schedule the next fic for me to update is Better Things than You. I don't really care, but do you guys want me to work on this fic or Better Things? I may just follow the muse, but I want to know if you have an opinion.**

**Chapter 10**

Inuyasha towel dried his hair. The red lights of the clock next to his bed declared the time to be sometime past three in the morning, but the hanyou could not sleep for the life of him. All he could think about was Kagome.

He had dreamt of Kagome, her sad voice on the phone replaying over and over again, leaving him no peace even in his sleep.

In the dream, it had been as though he was watching his body from a distance…

_His eyes had bled red and he had leaped out of the window into the night seeking out the girl whose lonely voice called to him. Floating above his body, he had followed himself down one dark alley after another and then stopped short in front of a payphone._

_There was a woman inside, and her head was turned away from him. She hissed words of pleading, and after a moment, Inuyasha floating about his youkai form, recognized them as the words Kagome had said when she called that night being repeated time and time again…_

"_**Inuyasha?" **Her voice squeaked painfully.** "I know you're not there, and I don't really have a way for you to reach me, but I…I guess I just needed a friend to talk to. I'm sorry things didn't work out between us. Don't worry. I won't bother you anymore…"**_

He had watched as his demon form had made a mad dash at the girl to protect her.   
Before he could even get to her, the dream ended, and Inuyasha woke alone in his bed. 

He needed to see Kagome again, but the matter _how_ was a problem.

She might be using him for a good time, but there had just been something about her voice that night that made him want to ignore all the reasons that where forming in his mind as to why he shouldn't see her. She had called him, and for the moment, that was reason enough to seek her out.

_Inuyasha_ the actor had an appointment with her that afternoon for some wedding planning where they would surely be photographed from paparazzi hiding in the bushes. Hopefully the woman who was there would be _Kagome_, and not Kikyou, the woman who had been with him on the talk show circuit.

If it wasn't such an impossibility, Inuyasha would have thought he was dealing with two different people. But it had to be simply one, strange actress.

XXXXXXXX

Sango clicked her nails on the expensive wood of her desk in Kikyou's office. She was supposed to be making phone calls to confirm Kikyou and Kagome's appointments for the week, but she could not help the feeling that something was off. Seriously off.

It was the man she had seen at the talk show taping a few days ago that was throwing her for a loop. He was handsome to be sure, but that was not why she was interested in him. Well, not the _only_ reason.

What she really wanted to know was why he had been there in the first place and then where she had seen him before.

To begin with, unless he had something to do with Inuyasha, he shouldn't have been at the taping. And Inuyasha was notorious for not having the entourage so typical of Hollywood starlets. With the security increase the suits on the executive committee had ordered to better protect Kikyou and Kagome's secret, Sango was unsure of how anyone who shouldn't have been there could have gotten on set.

He was not an actor Kikyou worked with, or if he was, he had not been her costar in sometime. Since Kikyou hit the A list, she carefully chose both her movies and coworkers, so the pool of men she played Juliette to their Romeo was very limited. Sango knew all acceptable costars by heart, and the mystery man was not on that list. He simply could not have been a man using his celebrity and connection with Kikyou to get on set.

The man could not have been on one the show's staff either for he had followed them to all the tapings they had taken and done nothing more than play with his hand held organizer and look as bored as herself.

That only left two options—both of which were unlikely.

One, Kikyou was having an affair. This however was a near impossibility to be happening under Sango's nose. When Kikyou had started dating her husband, she had been already involved with another man. It had been Sango's job to coordinate her schedules so she never slipped up. Kikyou clearly did not care what Sango's thoughts were on immorality—that was not what she was paid for—so it was more than likely not that her boss was bringing her boy-toy to work with her. Besides the extreme metro-sexual nature of the strange man was not Kikyou's type at all.

That left the other possibility: the man had been there with Inuyasha.

Her mind stretched out into her memories. He _had_ been watching the couch where the costars sat closely; if his eyes had been anywhere other than his palm pilot, it had been with the supposedly happy couple.

Though they had often proved inept in the past, Sango was pretty sure the television station had not reached such complete incompetents to let stalkers near the celebrities. Therefore, the man _had_ to have been there with Inuyasha.

Her manicured nails tapped over the glossy wood yet again, showing her frustration with her own memory's failure.

_Where have I seen him before?_

Turning back to her computer with an annoyed sigh, she decided if nothing else, she could do the job Kikyou paid her for. For a time at least she pushed the man from her mind.

XXXXXXXX

Kagome checked herself out over her shoulder in the full length mirrors behind where she stood on a pedestal. Sango had pulled a chair up to watch the show, knowing never to let Kagome out of her sight after the time she had disappeared in the fitting room.

The gown was perfect, for Kikyou.

The wedding dress was so beautiful it would be perfect for any woman, but it had something subtle that screamed Kikyou.

It had been designed specifically for the actress….

Turning one last time for Kagome sighed. "The dress is nice," she commented to Sango who appeared to be ignoring her.

Kikyou's assistant snorted. "Its more than nice," but she did not look up. She went on to say some designer's name that Kagome was sure she could not pronounce much less remember. Kagome could only shrug and turn back to the mirror.

"So this is it?" Kagome asked, smoothing the silk of the skirt down with her fingers. She had already tried on what seemed like hundreds of dresses, and this was the one she liked best and Sango had thought Kikyou was most likely to approve of.

"Yes, if Kikyou agrees," Sango finally met Kagome's gaze. "Do you like it?"

Kagome only shrugged again. "…its nice." She sighed at last. "Its just not—not—"

"You?" Sango filled in the blank.

"But its perfect for Kikyou." Kagome sighed in a breath, trying to reassure both herself and Sango she was making the right decision. Fidgeting with a stray piece of lace, she carefully avoided Sango's eyes.

"Yes," Sango began at last, after watching Kagome pretend to ignore her, "its not like this is really you're wedding. And if you hate the dress so much, we can look for another…" she offered, trying to keep up Kagome's moral as much as possible. Though the last thing they needed was for Kagome to start looking depressed for the cameras, she really did want the younger woman to be happy.

Kagome turned the thought over in her mind. She would never have picked the dress for her own personal use, but as things stood, she was playing a role: she wasn't even herself. This was part of the experience she had signed on for.

"Its really alright Sango. It isn't my wedding, and I need to look the part."

Sango nodded. She really couldn't press the girl anymore, so she made a motion for the seamstress to pack up the gown.

XXXX

Stepping out of the limo, Kagome immediately felt as though she were being watched.

It was true that she was supposed to be watched, but that knowledge didn't stop her from feeling uncomfortable.

Today, "Kikyou" was looking at hopeful venues in which she could hold her wedding. It was true the real wedding location had already been booked and a deposit placed on it, but the press didn't know that tidbit of information. Yet.

Sango marched in front of her, leading the way to where Inuyasha was already waiting. The actor looked like he had just stepped out of a catalogue, with his faded jeans and t-shirt, both sporting a logo Kagome recognized, but couldn't remember the designer it represented. His flip flops only probably cost more than a month's rent of her shabby apartment. Looking both women over from behind his dark sun-glasses, Inuyasha already sported the appearance of annoyance.

"You're late," he scoffed, turning back to look over the mansion grounds and gardens where the wedding would supposedly be held. He long black hair was tied back in a lose braid, and bits of stray hair were occasionally caught in the wind.

"Sorry," Kagome muttered in her bored Kikyou drawl, "getting a wedding dress on and off takes more time than you'd think."

"I guess I'll have to find out," Inuyasha rose to her jib, and Kagome found herself blushing ever so slightly under the thick sunglasses Sango had insisted she wear. The large black contraptions of shaded plastic covered a large section of her face, and Kagome found herself suddenly grateful for the shield they offered from the curious gaze Inuyasha was giving her.

"Good day, Mr. Takahashi, Miss Higurashi, I am Chuck, your guide. If you'll come this way," began the man appointed to lead their tour with a dramatic sweep of his arms. He was clearly expecting to be photographed with the way he held himself, the overly dressy clothes he sported in spite of the casual look to most of the other employees. "You'll see there is a fountain—imported from Rome—and this canopy is a favorite spot for most of our couples to hold their ceremony." The man motioned to parallel rows of three trees, their branches interlocking so that they created the arch. Kagome thought it was beautiful, but she noticed Inuyasha rolled his eyes.

"If you stand just here," Chuck directed Kagome and Inuyasha to stand centrally under the trees, "You can really get a _feel_ for what the ceremony will be like." He looked around nervously for a moment then leaned forward to join Inuyasha's hand with Kagome's. "See? It just has that wedding vibe about it."

There was the distinct sound of cameras going off in the background, and Inuyasha jerked his hand out of Kagome's.

"Yeah, there's the breach of privacy and everything," Inuyasha growled, and the guide paled, but tried to look like he hadn't heard the actor's comment.

"The reception hall his this way, if you would like to follow me," he said, leading to where there would surely be more photographers hiding in the bushes. _But that was the point, wasn't it? _ Kagome thought as she walked along next Inuyasha, trying to look the part of a woman in love.

If she had been playing herself in love with Inuyasha, she would have reached out her hand and taken his, but that was something Kikyou rarely did. So Kagome settled for walking as close to him a possible, occasionally brushing up next to him when they were close.

One of the times they stopped so Chuck could point out the view, Kagome found herself leaning into Inuyasha's side. He seemed to welcome the action, one of his hands coming across her back to grip her hip. She leaned further into the side-hug only to find herself abruptly pushed aside. Her head whipped around, questioning Inuyasha. He snorted and moved further away, leaving her to stand alone.

Kagome was puzzled, but tried not to show it as she continued to pretend to listen to their guide.

Inuyasha walked away from Kikyou. So far his plan was working as well as could be expected. He was going to get her pissed off and at the same time sabotage the studio's attempt to get their free advertising from the paparazzi. If all went according to his scheme, he would be able to get Kikyou alone, away from the cameras and her watch-dog assistant.

She seemed to do so much better—be the "Kagome" persona he liked so much more—when she was with his hanyou form. Granted it probably had something to do with the fact that _he_ was more comfortable as a hanyou—without all the fucking of modern magic to screw with his system. Messing with his senses wasn't the best way to put him in a happy-cheery mood.

As their small group was passing a grove of trees, Sango and the guide walking ahead, Inuyasha made his move. Snatching up Kikyou's hand, he pulled her into the trees. The security guards who had been following exchanged looks, but continued on after Sango.

"What are you doing?" Kikyou hissed at him, when she saw that Sango was out of ear shot. She sounded pissed to Inuyasha, but then she was also blushing in the cutest way. He looked down to see that their hands were still joined.

"Aren't you the least bit tired of listening to that man drone on and on when the studio already has a wedding location for us?" Inuyasha growled back at her as he lead the way though the thicket. When they reached the other side, the couple found themselves in front of a massive stone arch. Kagome recognized it as a smaller version of the Arc de Triomphe in Paris.

_What a romantic place to get married…_ Kagome mused, not really paying attention to where Inuyasha was leading them.

They stopped midway under the arch, and when Kagome finally let her eyes go back to Inuyasha she found him staring at her with his intense violet eyes. She couldn't stop the blush that instantaneously spread over her face. Nervously, she lifted the heavy sunglasses to the top her head, a nervous reflex as they stood in the arch's shade.

Before she could blink, Inuyasha had closed in on her with a speed she didn't know he had. Inuyasha kissed her hard, pushing her back again the arch's wall. Kagome hesitated for a moment, unsure of where this burst of affection was coming from—she had been sure Inuyasha was on the verge of disliking her and now here he was…kissing her. Her arms cautiously slipped up and around his neck pulling him closer. She could feel him smile against her lips, his own hands gripping her hips.

When he leaned into her to push her closer to the wall, Kagome wondered if she should resist, but there was something comforting—familiar really—about his smell, the feel of his skin. Kagome melted into his embrace.

As Inuyasha felt Kagome relax even more into his kisses, he knew it was time. As nice as this was, it would be even nicer when she was with his hanyou from. Hopefully. He knew he wasn't the brightest man when it came to women, and something about his plan screamed of stupidity, but still, he wanted to really be able take her all in. And as a human, he couldn't do that.

Besides, confusing the hell out of her might be fun.

Pulling back from her a little to lean his forehead against hers, Inuyasha sounded like he growled. He moved his lips down toward Kikyou's ear, nibbling the lobe. "Smile for the cameras, Kagome."

Giving her one last peck on the cheek, Inuyasha couldn't help but smile at the shocked look on Kikyou's face. That should shake her up….

She looked like she wanted to shout at him, her face red with anger, fists clenched at her sides, but in the end, Inuyasha found himself watching her back as she ran away from him, in the direction of the mansion's exit.

Perfect, he thought as he quickly took off the spells concealing his from, and then using his superior senses to make sure there were no paparazzi he needed to dispose of. Once he was sure he had not been seen, he leaped in the air, heading in Kikyou's direction.

xxx

Kagome silently fumed as she made a mad dash for the parking lot and had almost reached it when she realized she didn't know where the limo was. The long black car was no where in sight. It was no wonder really since their tour of the wedding venue was supposed to last another hour.

She just wanted to go back to Kikyou's and crash. This acting thing was starting to take its toll on her, and Inuyasha's behavior wasn't helping. One minute he was kissing her, the next making her feel like a piece of meat for the paparazzi. She knew he might have only been making a friendly joke—people who stayed in Hollywood clearly lacked all their marbles. But it wasn't her way to just kiss a guy for the camera. And it hurt that when she was actually feeling emotion, it was all just and act for Inuyasha.

Brushing angry tears away, Kagome tried to pull herself together. _Why do I care so damn much?_ Something about what he had said really bothered her, but she couldn't put her finger on it.

Walking quickly towards the road, Kagome readied her had to hail a cab when one suddenly pulled up in front of her.

She quickly slipped inside the air conditioned interior, leaning back into the seat as she gave the address to the house near Kikyou's. The press would love to see "Kikyou" being dropped off at her home in a banged up taxi.

It was a moment before she realized she wasn't alone in the cab.

Her breath hitched in her throat at the sight of the hanyou sitting next to her.

"Miss me?" Inuyasha's golden eyes flashed and he smirked as he moved across the seat to her.


	11. Rendezvous

Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha. Inuyasha is the property of Rumiko Takahashi and Viz Productions.

**A/N: Thanks so much to everyone who reviewed and read Chapter 10! Getting all that fed back was extremely helpful in motivating me to write this chapter so fast. Granted, I did slack off on schoolwork, but I'm so ready to graduate its not even funny. I hope you enjoy this installment just as much as the last.**

**Chapter 11**

Kagome thought she had died. That had to be it because there was no way Inuyasha—her hanyou—could be sitting across from her in the back seat of this dingy cab. Fate just did not allow such coincidences.

She was so surprised to she Inuyasha sitting there that she forgot to breathe. It took her a moment to regain herself, and by that time he had already closed in her, pulling her close as he nuzzled his nose to her neck.

At that moment, Kagome's mind decided to register where she was, whom she was with, and what _he_ was doing. Quickly, she pushed against the hanyou's chest and squirmed out of his embrace to back up against the door.

"What are you doing?" She managed out, her face blushing. _Has every man in this city with the name Inuyasha lost his goddamn mind today?!_

Inuyasha looked worried for a moment, and then collected himself. Carefully he brushed a lock of hair behind her ear. "I wanted to see you, and I know I was a jerk the last time we were together. I've been thinking about you since I got that message on my answering machine…." He trailed off to look at her with a concerned expression.

"I—about that," Kagome began, "I was just having a rough night, but I'm ok now," she forced a smile. Her mind was working over time, trying to figure out what he was doing there. How had he even found her? Why did he want to see her? Quickly she changed the subject. "Um, do you always ride around in taxis like this? Waiting to pick up girls you said you didn't want to see again?" Kagome asked shyly, looking at the gum-covered floor of the cab as to avoid Inuayasha's gaze.

"Kagome, I've already said I was being an ass, and I hope you haven't completely written me off." Inuyasha let out a heavy sigh when she continued to nervously look away. "I really want to make it up to you."

"So what does that mean?" Kagome looked up, feeling a little braver at the hopeful note in his voice.

"I want to see you again."

Looking away quickly, Kagome bit her lip. She had so much to do before the wedding that was only a few days away. So many formalities, photo ops, and parties, and then at the end of it all she would be married. To Inuyasha, but not the one she wanted to be married to—not that she really wanted to be married to anyone. Feeling a deep sadness welling up in her, she looked out the window to distract herself. _When did my life get so complicated?_

Inuyasha watched the myriad of expressions crossing Kagome's face. She mostly looked worried and sad. _Maybe she does like that other guy…or some other guy._ Had he been right that Kikyou had been slumming and was involved with someone else that was not him—human or hanyou?

"Unless you don't want to see me again," he said carefully, not wanting to scare her away.

Kagome looked back over at him, feeling at least a little more composed. "It's not that, its just I have a lot going on at the moment. I really do want to see you again," she stopped for a moment, running through the list of events for the next week. There was no hope of skipping any one of them, but maybe she could break away early.

No, the other Inuyasha would be there to stop her. The two of them had to be lashed together tighter than a three-legged race team when they went to the Hollywood parties.

Suddenly, something struck her: tomorrow night was "Kikyou's" bachelorette party—Inuyasha wouldn't be allowed too attend. Perfect.

"How about tomorrow night?"

Inuyasha's face spread into a grin, grateful she wasn't completely blowing him off. "Tomorrow's great for me."

"I'm glad," Kagome smiled genuinely for the first time in a long while. "Here," she pulled out an old receipt from her purse and scribbled the address of the club where the party was going to be. "Pick me up here at ten," she smiled at him as she handed him the paper.

"I'll see you then, Kagome," Inuyasha smiled. Kagome grinned back, but something about the way he said her name bothered her—it sounded so familiar. _Of course it sounds familiar, you've been talking to guy for like half an hour._

No, it was something else.

The cab jerked to a halt and Kagome recognized they were at the address she had given the driver.

"You live here?" Inuyasha asked looking around though the cab's windows at all the ritzy houses with their perfectly manicured lawns.

"Um…yeah, stunt doubling is a lucrative business you know," Kagome mumbled as she rushed to get out of the cab before he asked any more questions.

She wondered if she was supposed to pay her cab fare, but Inuyasha waved her down. "Tomorrow night?" He asked with a charming smirk as he gazed at her from the rolled-down cab window. His bright golden eyes shown with a light Kagome could not pinpoint and she was sure she had never had that emotion projected her way before.

Blushing, she waved shyly as the cab pulled away and made it down the road and out of sight.

XXXXXXXX

The cab slowly and quietly rolled about a block behind the girl. It stopped completely when she turned off the sidewalk and strolled up to a house, nodding to the security guards as she stepped onto the porch and then she vanished inside the mansion completely.

"Did you see that?!" Inuyasha punched Miroku's shoulder in excitement. From his place in the driver's seat Miroku rolled his eyes.

"Yes, Inuyasha, you were right, I'm wrong," he grumbled, turning the care around so they could leave before someone got suspicious.

For the life of him, Miroku had not been able to understand what the hell Inuyasha was talking about with the whole, "I like Kagome, but she's really Kikyou acting to be someone else" scenario. He still didn't understand _why _the actress was doing what she was doing, but at least he now knew his friend wasn't crazy. When Inuyasha had begged him earlier to help in his plan to get the actress alone for a few minutes, he had gone alone with it just to see if what Inuyasha was saying had a grain of truth to it.

Now it seemed it did.

"See?" Inuyasha was still gushing about being right. "She went into Kikyou's house—she has to be Kikyou."

"I know Inuyasha," Miroku said in a placating manner. "So you're still going to meet little Miss Split Personality?"

"Feh, of course."

"Suit yourself," Miroku said, turning up the radio to drown out the grown feeling of _wrongness_ he was feeling. Something about all of this was not right, and he did not want to see his friend get hurt.

"Its not just that I want to see her, I need to see her, Miroku," Inuyasha said, his tone becoming more somber. He had sprawled out in the back of the cab, his head lolling against the headrest.

"And why is that?" Miroku turned down the radio to better hear the man in the backseat.

Inuyasha paused for a moment, considering his words. When he did finally speak, it was in an eerily quite tone, unmistakably serious. "I can't be completely sure, but I think she may be my mate."

Miroku nearly crashed the car, and had to drag the wheel to his left to keep the vehicle from colliding with a guardrail he nearly hit when he jerked in response to Inuyasha's words. They fishtailed for a moment, then righted.

"How the hell do you know that?!"

"You know we pick mates my scent. I always wondered about Kikyou, but now that I've actually gotten be near her as a hanyou, well I think she could be mate material." Inuyasha looked out the window. "Her scent isn't abhorrent like most women—its something I actually enjoy being around—and I _like_ being around her. I'm taking that as a sign she might be it."

"I hope you're sure, Inuyasha," Miroku said carefully. He didn't know how to tell his friend his own misgivings.

XXXXXXXX

"_Kagome."_

"_Kagome."_

"_Kagome."_

Half awake, half asleep, Kagome heard her name being called as her mind replayed the events with Inuyasha the actor at the wedding mansion.

"_Kagome."_

There had been something tangibly familiar about the sound, the tone, the rhythm of how he spoke her name. In her near dreaming state, she couldn't place it.

Then, in the back of her mind, a small thought sprung to life.

_Inuyasha sounds like Inuyasha. Inuyasha…Inuyasha. Funny, they both have the same name…like they're the same guy._

Sleepily she chuckled at what she was sure had to be a witty observation before rolling over and falling back to sleep.

XXXXXXXX

"Just suck in some more!" Sango commanded as she tried yet again to zip up Kagome's dress. Really Kikyou's dress Kagome was supposed to wear to the bachelorette party. Since Kagome had performed yet another disappearing act, they had not had time to get the dress altered to accommodate her larger chest size and shorter legs.

"I can't breath already—this _'dress'_ is going to suffocate me!" Kagome whined. She already had a headache from the scolding she had received from both Kikyou and Sango, and the lack of oxygen she was getting from the party clothes wasn't helping. She felt even more guilty of what she was planning to do, but it was just when Inuyasha—the hanyou—asked her to do something, she couldn't think of anything but how to make it happen. She could care less what the actor Inuyasha asked of her.

_What _am_ I doing?_ She asked herself, not for the first time.

Sango had stopped tugging on the ends of the dress and was standing, staring at Kagome's back, a V of flesh where the dress's zipper was not meeting up. "Ok," Sango commanded, "I'm going to count to three, you suck in and pull back the front as much as you can, and we'll see if we can't get this thing zipped."

Kagome nodded and waited for Sango's count. Somehow that time, they managed to get the dress fastened, though Kagome wasn't sure how long she was going to last before she fainted from air loss.

Sango stepped back again to look at Kagome. The dress did not suit her—her breasts were about to pop out and the skirt was too long to be stylish. She was also looking pale from the blood supply cut off from her head.

Still, it would have to do, they didn't have anything else fitted for her that said "bachelorette party."

Deciding that the dress was as good as it was going to get, she motioned for the hair and make up girls to get started.

Sango was a little pissed, needless to say. She understood Kagome was doing her sister a huge favor, but if she blew her cover, it wasn't going to matter. Kagome seemed to be a pretty rational girl and obedient to boot. So why the disappearing act? Sango's brow scrunched in thought. Kikyou relied on her to shoot down little problems before they happened, so she wasn't very happy with the fact Kagome had gotten away from them _again_.

Returning to what her gut was telling her, Sango wondered if Kagome was sneaking off to see a guy. But what guy? When she had asked Kikyou if Kagome was seeing anyone, Kikyou had laughed and said something about her sister being the Hollywood's oldest virgin.

But no matter how much of a prude Kagome might be didn't mean she wasn't running off to see someone. In fact, if as Kikyou implied, she wasn't used to having a significant other, it would make more sense for Kagome to hide any relationship she might be having.

The more she thought about it, the more it made sense.

A sudden thought occurred to Sango. What if some reporter had figured out what was going on and was using Kagome? The assistant swallowed hard. This could go very badly, and she would have to watch her employer's sister all the more carefully.

XXXXXXXXXX

Kagome looked at her watch for not the first time that night. Who knew a few hours could take so damn long? It was almost 9:30 and she had been creeping toward the door for the past half hour. Unfortunately, Sango was watching her like a hawk; a very hungry, pissed off hawk.

It was to be expected though. And why was she acting this way? She had always been the nerdy girl, studying and doing drama club. She had never ran after a guy in her life, and the male half of the species rarely glanced in her direction.

So, added with the fact that she was pretending to be her sister and getting married to a man who thought she was someone else, the fact that she was sneaking off to see a hanyou only made the entire situation all the more surreal.

Kagome was a little distracted concentrating on how she was going to make her run for the door without being tackled by Sango, when a pair of arms came up behind, giving her a squeeze. Squeaking, Kagome turned in the embrace to find her eyes meeting Inuyasha's—the actor's. _What is _he_ doing here? It's supposed to be a bachelorette party!_

Panic rose up in Kagome as she realized she might not be able to get to Inuyasha.

"Hello, Kikyou," Inuyasha was saying, a smirk gracing his lips.

"Hello, um, Inuyasha. Isn't it against the rules for you to be here?" She queried, trying to put a little distance between them but he kept his arms locked behind her back.

"I wanted to apologize for the other day—I was being stupid," Inuyasha began. He didn't like saying he was sorry for anything, but then he was also an actor. Not to mention that his mind couldn't let go of the sad look in Kagome's eye from the day at the mansion, and he had to do something to clear his conscience.

"It's all right, you just surprised me," Kagome lied. "Besides," she said remembering several scenes from her sister's movies with Inuyasha, "Its not nothing that hasn't happened before."

Finally, she managed to wiggle her arms out of Inuyasha's hold and reach behind her back to detach his hands. Stepping back from him, she offered him a small smile and headed back toward the bar.

"Hold up," he called out, reaching and latching his hand around her arm before he reeled her back to him.

"What did they not get enough pictures of us already?" Kagome asked snidely, struggling to escape without causing a scene.

"Can't I want to be near my fiancé?" Asking with a face that was the picture of innocence.

"No, you don't even like being around me!" Kagome declared, finally succeeding in pulling her free of his hold. This time however she did not make a move away from him.

"Wherever did you get that idea?" Inuyasha was laughing at her with an arrogant twinkle in his violet eyes, and Kagome fumed. She was going to be late to see Inuyasha, and the thought both angered her and made her worried. Things were so precarious with the hanyou anyway, and she wanted to show him she didn't always have strange men following her around.

Inuyasha's inward grin was bigger than the one he was currently displaying to Kagome. It appeared she was chopping on the bit to get to Inuyasha, or the other Inuyasha. He had been waiting out in the parking lot like a good little hanyou, but he couldn't stand the anticipation. What was Kagome doing? Was she looking forward to seeing him? He knew from the meticulous schedule Sango had sent him that "Kikyou" was at this club for a bachelorette party, and his jealous mind had been flooded with images of Kagome dancing with other men, male strippers, god knew who. That last thought had made his eyes bleed red and his impatience to see her became unbearable.

Not particularly wanting to show Kagome his obnoxiously possessive side just yet, and hoping for the chance of being able to gage her feelings, he had gone in as his human self. Showing up as the famous actor had also made it easier to get into the club.

Kagome glared at Inuyasha for a moment. "You want to know why I think you don't like being around me? You always act pissed off, you blow hot and cold, and you act like I'm not doing anything for you." She spoke as evenly as she could, trying hard not to let her voice waver with anger. "Do you think I want to be married to someone for show anymore than you do?" She finished quietly, grateful they were in a more secluded area of the club so she didn't have to scream too much.

"Ka—Kikyou," he caught himself just in time. Kagome made a face that said she might have noticed, but with the swirling globes of light going around them, he couldn't be sure. "For the sake of both of our careers, I'll try to be more pleasant, if you try not to be such a frigid bitch."

He thought for a moment that she was going to hit him, but she only smirked at him. "That is all I ask." Turning, she tried yet again, to leave, but Inuyasha gently took up her wrist.

"Got a hot date, babe?" Inuyasha asked, moving smoothly in front of her to block her exit.

Kagome bit back the string of curses she wanted to throw in his face she was so frustrated. "You know it," flashing her Kikyou half smile, attempting to get around the actor.

"But this is your bachelorette party, and I think your lackey/watch dog is coming this way," he motioned in Sango's direction just as the assistant appeared at Kagome's side.

"Hello, Mr. Takahashi," Sango said formally. "I was not informed you would be joining us this evening or I would have made accommodations." Even though she was at a party, Sango still wore her typical business suit, clipboard, and heels, her hair pulled away from her face in her trademark ponytail. Kagome idly wondered if the woman had any fun clothes. What did she wear on the weekend? Working for Kikyou like she did, did she even have a weekend?

A quick glance at her watch while Sango and Inuyasha exchanged pleasantries was enough to bring Kagome back to reality. It was almost ten—she had to start making her way out of the club if she was going to be on time.

"No, Sango, that's really not necessary." Inuyasha was saying to something Sango had offered, looking a little confused. "Why would there be female strippers at a bachelorette party anyway?"

As Sango began to explain the finer points of exotic dancers and Hollywood functions, Kagome ducked out quietly, disappearing into the crowd of people, strobe lights, and smoke. She didn't know anyone personally, and she had a feeling that if it had been Kikyou at the party instead, her sister would have had the same impression. People appeared to have been invited at random based on their star power.

After what was an eternity of squirming past grinding bodies, Kagome finally made it to the exit and out into the night.

Looking around, Inuyasha was nowhere to be seen. When she looked down at her watch, she found it read 10:05.

XXXXXXXXXX

A/N: There's more I swear! It's just more than I can fit into one chapter without loosing my concentration. I'm breaking Chapter 11 into halves because I want to fit a lot more in it that I had originally planned, so I'm going to end it here. Otherwise, I'll get burned out, and will stop writing, and everything will just sit on my computer for months on end. I also need to turn in part of my thesis, and so I want to cut this off to finish that. I will try to post the rest sometime with in the next week, but as always, no promises. My work schedule is going to be hectic, and I need to focus. I would much rather write fics for you guys, but sadly they aren't going to help me graduate from college.


	12. Talk to Me

Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha. That is the property of Rumiko Takashi and Viz Productions.

**Thanks to everyone who reviewed, I'll try to answer your questions and comments next time. If no one reviewed, I hate to say it, but I really think I would stop writing, so your support means a lot. **

**Chapter 12**

Inuyasha was still listening to Sango, who in spite of all of her formality, seemed to like having someone listening to her that didn't immediately brush her off. When he caught the bar clock, reading that it was almost ten, he swore under his breath. This was just fucking great.

"Hey," he said suddenly, "is that Kikyou waving to you?" He pointed in a random direction. In the instant her back was turned, Inuyasha made a break for it, pushing his way thought the crowd, leaving Sango alone.

A quick stop in the bathroom to switch the spell and change his clothes, Inuyasha rushed outside.

Immediately, he saw Kagome, looking around worried. She was walking back and forth down the sidewalk that lined the club, her eyes darting in all directions. In his hanyou form, he could smell her anxiety, even a potent hint of sadness.

Moving quickly, he zigzagged to her, moving past the people trying to get into the club. Slinging the bag with his clothes over his shoulder, in the same motion he wrapped his arms around Kagome and pulled her to him.

Inuyasha could feel her stiffen for a moment, her unease growing. "I'm late, babe," he whispered and immediately felt her relax.

"Inuyasha!" Kagome growled, pushing herself away and turning to look at him, her hands on her hips. "What do you think you're doing? I thought you were a mugger!"

Laughing, he took her hand and pulled her toward his car. "I know, but I saw you there, and I couldn't resist. Nice dress, by the way," he said as he noticeably ogled her cleavage. Kagome wished her and her sister were closer to the same size.

She accepted his answer begrudgingly, fuming at his blatant staring, and followed him as he pulled her along. What was it about men named Inuyasha and the need to control her movement?

"So, do you have any particular place you want to go, Kagome?" Inuyasha asked innocently enough. However the question sent another pang of panic to the girl's gut. What if someone saw them? Could she risk going out in public not only looking like her sister, but also _made_ to resemble Kikyou in dress, makeup, and clothes?

Kagome was struck with a sudden epiphany. _I have an apartment._ Granted her food had probably rotted and the place was probably coated in dust, but it was still hers. As part of their arrangement, Kikyou was to pay her rent and utilities as long as Kagome was not living there so that she did not lose the prime real estate for starving college students when she went back to finish her research.

"I have some place we could go, if you just want a night in."

XXXXXXXXX

An hour later, after hitting the movie store and three take out joint, Kagome found herself turning her key in the rusty lock to her old apartment. She felt like she had been away for a lifetime.

And with the layer of dust coating everything, it appeared she had been. In addition to the grime, there was the distinct scent of old garbage and disuse permeating the air.

"Come here often?" Inuyasha asked with a raised eyebrow once he had stepped inside and surveyed the damage.

"I told you it was a hideout—I just haven't needed it for a while," Kagome said, surprised with how easily the lie rolled off her tongue.

"Ah," Inuyasha said, flicking on the light switch, which thankfully turned on. _At least Kikyou is paying the bills so I'll have a home to come back to when this is all over…._

Setting the movies down on her kitchen table, Kagome checked the fridge, but quickly shut the door when she saw what could have been an over-grown rat leering at her from the depths of the darkened icebox. _Note to self: call exterminator before moving back in._

"So…you got a living room?" Inuyasha asked nonchalantly, his eyes moving toward the doorway leading out of the kitchen and into the rest of the darkened apartment.

"This way," Kagome directed thought the door. Inuyasha scooped up the movies as he passed the table and trekked after Kagome, still holding their take out.

She blushed at the smallness of her home. There wasn't a living room, only her bedroom. While at school she wasn't one for entertaining, and before this she had never had needed to use more than the kitchen to occupy her guests. Ideally, she wonder what the other Inuyasha would have thought if she had brought him here.

Turning on the lights to her bedroom, she found it as she had left it only cleaner. It looked like someone had tidied up, picking up her clothes and making her bed.

Kagome quickly dusted off the television, perched precariously on her dresser opposite to her bed, before popping in the rented copy of _Sin City_. As she fiddled with the DVD player, she nervously glanced over her shoulder at the hanyou who had flopped down on her bed and was now taking up most of the right side and middle. _Where am I supposed to sit?_

_I'm already causing so much trouble, I might as well take advantage of the situation_, Kagome thought. Appearing as relaxed as possible, she plopped down next to Inuyasha who seemed a little taken aback by her forwardness but nonetheless wrapped his arm around her waist, pulling her close as the film began.

XXXXXXXX

"What do you mean she's not there!" Kikyou screamed at her assistant over the phone.

On the other end of the line, Sango cringed. This was not good. This really was not good. She had been looking for Kagome for some time and the girl was nowhere to be found. No one had seen her for at least an hour and the person who last remembered glimpsing her said she had been driving away.

Sango told as much to Kikyou, but the actress was still angry. "This isn't like Kagome!" Kikyou declared in exasperation. "She _knows_ better than this. If it was anyone else, I would think she was doing it to spite me, but I just can't believe _my_ sister would have it in her."

This was bad. This was very very bad. Kikyou paced her living room for a moment, practically growling as she stalked around. Not only bad, but also it was not something her sister would pull. Kagome was the good girl, the one who never stepped out of line. _Why now on my watch does she have to start acting like a normal human being instead of a saint?_

"Kikyou?" Sango's voice brought her back to the present. "I've said this before, but I think she's sneaking off to see a guy."

Kikyou paused, weighing the idea in her mind. It didn't fit. Kagome like studying and her only hobby was acting. But who knew? She wasn't being herself anyway. "Alright Sango, I'll bite. Why—besides the obvious—would you think that?"

Sango stood outside the club, one hand clapping her cell phone to her ear, the other keeping a paparazzi in a chock hold. "Because I have a man here with some very interesting pictures of her leaving with a very attractive young man." The paparazzi showed Sango the pictures he had taken of Kagome and Inuyasha on his digital camera as he pleaded for the assistant to let him live.

Kikyou was froze, her jaw dropped. She didn't know what to say. Little Kagome running off with a guy? Giving herself a shake, Kikyou began to strategize. She needed to know who he was, where he had taken her baby sister, and if there was any reason she needed to personally oversee his assassination.

Telling Sango as much, Kikyou dropped the phone back into it cradle and returned to the couch where her husband sat, waiting for her.

"Anything the matter?" He asked even though he knew there was.

"Kagome's gone MIA again," Kikyou groaned. Her attention was focused on turning back on the movie they had been watching before the interruption.

"Is she ok? I thought I heard you say you needed to have someone killed."

"As far as I know, she's fine. Sango's going to check back in when she knows more."

Nodding, Mr. Kikyou realized he wasn't going to get any more information at the moment as his wife's eyes had glazed over, her attention on the movie.

Neither the actress nor her husband noticed the periodic clicking sound coming from the bushes outside their living room. They had no idea a lone stalk-a-razzi had made it passed security and was currently photographing the famous actress with an unknown man. The tabloids and morning talk shows were going to flip.

XXXXXXXX

Sango flipped her cell phone shut angrily. This was sooo not her day. She knew Kikyou probably wouldn't fire her for this mess, but it was always a possibility.

Shoving the photographer she had been torturing away, she popped the memory card out of his camera and when back inside the club. One of the bouncers started to try and halt her, but his partner stopped him with a warning shake of his head.

A little shaken, Sango made her way to the bar. She was going to need a drink if she expected to get through the night.

After ordering a Yeager bomb, she slouched in her bar stool, relaxing for the first time in some days. She sighed in relief for just being off her feet.

The distinct pressure of a hand on her ass brought her back to reality.

With a speed that would have rivaled any demon, Sango had the pervert in a chokehold pleading for his life.

"Buddy, I've had a bad night, and it's only gone to get worse. Don't fuck with me!" She hissed into his ear. Giving his neck one final crushing squeeze, she let him go.

He stood quickly, taking a stumbling step away from her, his hands on his neck to assess the damage.

"I'm sorry, it was an accident," he said, his voice a little hoarse.

It was then that Sango realize who he was. It was the guy who had been with Inuyasha at the television station that day.

"Its all right," Sango said, trying to recover herself. She had to keep him around. "Happens all the time—just so long as you've learned your lesson," she fake smiled at him and hopped back on the barstool. Not one for beating around the bush, "Can I buy you a drink?"

The man looked confused for a moment, but then shrugged. "Mama said to never pass up drinks from beautiful women," he flashed her what he assumed was a charming smile. Sango rolled her eyes as she looked down a the black shot of Yeager and tumbler of Red Bull. Just what she needed. "I'll have whatever you're having," he said not really paying attention to what exactly she was drinking.

Sango ordered him his drink and waited for the bar tender to bring it to him before she downed her own.

"I'm Miroku," he offered as they waited.

"Sango," she responded just as his Yeager bomb was placed before him. "Have you ever had one before?" She asked innocently.

Miroku looked confused. "Can't say I have."

Sango smirked at his lost tone. Few of the Hollywood pansies she had as suitors could pass the Yeager Bomb test. She wanted this Miroku-guy around for information, but he was kind of handsome. "Then you're in for a treat. This is what you do:" she instructed, "take your shot, drop it in the tumbler, and chug—not sip, but chug. It mixes better and is easier to drink that way."

Miroku nodded.

"Ok, on three. One. Two. Three."

Chugging down their drinks, they finished at almost the same time. Feeling a bit of a head rush, the two looked at each her, matching smirks on their faces.

"You want another?" Miroku asked.

Sango's smile widened. "Of course, your round though." He had passed the patented Sango Yeager Bomb challenge.

XXXXXXXX

Kagome snuggled closer to Inuyasha. Burying her head in his chest just in time to avoid seeing yet another man being castrated by gunshot, she missed his look of surprise at her movement.

Inuyasha was enjoying himself. There was something relaxing about this whole…date.

If it could be called a date at all.

But that was not the point. The point was that just being with Kagome made him feel relaxed. Not just relaxed, but good about himself. He didn't have to focus on being any body else, on keeping up a persona. He could be himself. Things were just simple, and he liked it.

Kagome was nowhere near as relaxed as Inuyasha. She liked being with him, it was a nice change from the constant lights and glamour she had been forced into recently. _That _aspect at least was relaxing for the young actress.

But it was the guilt that was getting to her.

She wanted to come clean, but how clean was the question?

She couldn't say anything about Kikyou—those were Kikyou's secrets. If she couldn't say anything about Kikyou, then she couldn't say anything about marrying the actor Inuyasha.

Or could she?

"I'm marrying Inuyasha Takahashi the day after tomorrow as a stand in for Kikyou Higurashi." She blurted out in one breath.

Inuyasha, who had been minding his own business smelling Kagome's hair and watching _Sin City_, was needless to say surprised at her confession. "_What?_"

Kagome disentangled herself from his embrace. "You heard me," she said, keeping her back to him. "I just wanted to you to know. I've been lying to enough people recently, and I want you to know where I'll be. I may not be able to see you for some time—if you want to see now."

Inuyasha did not have the slightest idea of what to say. Never had he believed Kikyou would tell him the truth…even on this half-truth level. In a weird sort of way he was touched.

"First off, of course I'll want to see you again." He smiled a little when she visibly relaxed. "But let me get this straight," he said, falling into what he hoped was an appropriately surprised expression. "Because you're Kikyou's stunt double, you have to marry the guy she's supposed to be engaged to? That doesn't make any sense."

Kagome hung her head but turned back toward him. "Its more complicated than that and I wish I could tell you every thing, but a lot of this mess is made up of secrets that are not mine to tell." She looked up at him with uncertain eyes. "Inuyasha? Can you just tell me that you understand a little?"

Inuyasha nodded slowly. "I think I understand, there is always something strange going on in this town. Not that I'm happy about it, but get what you're saying. But."

Kagome had known there was more.

"But I don't know why you're telling me this. Or why you're even here with me for that matter. You're getting married."

"I know," Kagome began. "And I know in light of the present conversation it probably doesn't mean much, but I usually don't do stuff like this. I don't usually sneak around with guys, but I, well, kind of like you." She held up a hand when he started to protest. "And as far as me getting married, it's not my choice to do it like this. Marriage is supposed to be special, this is just a…job. But when I get married for real, I hope that it lasts and that it's with someone who loves me as much as I care about him. I mean, I don't think Inuyasha likes me that much. It would have been nice if my first wedding was with the person I really loved, but it can't be. I just have to live with this." She forcefully brushed away a single tear and tried to give Inuyasha a brave smile.

It was unnerving how sad she looked as she spoke. Inuyasha wasn't sure what to say or for that matter think. Was Kikyou that upset by the idea of marrying him? Sure she had just said marriage was special, but it appeared she thought it was _really _special. He had never thought that much about marriage, and when he did it was usually to run away from it, but the idea of being married to Kagome did not sound that bad.

"If it's just a job, why can't you say no? You don't really seem happy about it. Is money really worth that?" Inuyasha asked the first question that came to mine.

For her part, Kagome was just happy he wasn't upset over what she was telling him. She had expected the throwing of objects, cursing, or even him storming out the door to never be seen by her eyes again. Inuyasha was being calm. It was unnerving and brought more questions to her mind.

Sucking in a deep breath, she tried to answer him. "I guess its more than a job." She paused, thinking of what she could and could not say next. She couldn't reveal too much or she would be even more dead than she already was going to be when Kikyou got her hands on her. "Like I said, its _complicated_. If I could tell you more, I would. Maybe some day I can explain it all. Okay?"

Inuyasha smile, leaning in to peck a kiss on her lips. "I'll hold you to that, babe."

"I hope so," Kagome breathed a sigh of relief she didn't know she had been holding. _I hope you're still around for me to explain_ everything.

"So," Inuyasha said as he reclined them back against the headboard so they could finish watching the movie. "How long is the 'marriage' going to last?"

Kagome shrugged against him. "I don't know. I'm just doing my part." After thinking for a moment she went on. "I don't even know how much of a marriage its supposed to be. No one tells me anything," she laughed.

Inuyasha nodded, letting the conversation go.

However, Kagome's words kept coming back to him. She seemed to really want to get married someday for real, and the fact that she marrying him—or at least the actor part of him—disturbed her.

_Its not wonder, considering how you treat her._

Inuyasha was shocked by his own thoughts. Here he was about to marry a girl who was perfect for him if scent had any thing to do with it. Scent was more than simply smell. It was about compatibility. Mates with compatible scents had personalities that matched as well. And it was more than just her scent; it was the way that just being in the same room as her was soothing, not to mention that if as far as movies and food went the had very similar tastes. He knew had only just met Kagome as Kagome, but by her scent alone he knew he had a very good chance of falling for her.

And he was going to be married to her. In a way.

It then became clear what he had to do. He had to treat her better in his human form. If he could win her over that way, then maybe their marriage could become the real one she wanted.

XXXXXXX

Kouga stood out in the parking lot, leaning on the hood of his beat up Mustang. Arms crossed over his chest, he brooded on the light from the window in the apartment several floors off the ground.

He had seen Kagome take that hanyou up there with her, and now he was waiting for the little dog shit to come down.

It was getting late, but still Kouga stayed.

Finally, just as he was beginning to think the son of a bitch would be staying the night, the flickering light of what must have been the television stopped, and more lights were switched on. Kouga waited, bracing himself for the fight that would hopefully ensue. He would maim the man and scare away yet another one of Kagome's suitors.

A few more minutes and Kouga's waiting paid off. He heard the sound of a door opening and then the muffled exchanging of good byes. After a brief silence, he heard the voices again and then a door closing.

Feet on the stairs gave way at last to the man he had been waiting for.

Only it wasn't the hanyou he had been waiting for—it was another guy entirely, a human.

A guy he recognized. "Inuyasha Takahashi?!" Kouga gushed as he moved to meet the actor. "What are you doing here?"

Inuyasha cursed himself. He had known it was a bad idea to switch back to his human form so soon. Now he was standing face to face with the man who had been harassing Kagome the last time they'd tried to get together.

He had to think of something fast.

"Just seeing a friend," Inuyasha muttered, trying to get away.

"Wait, I've seen like all your movies—can I at least get your autograph?" Kouga pleaded, falling into step with Inuyasha.

Inuyasha decided he'd do anything to get the guy off his back. "Sure man. You go a pen and paper?"

Kouga felt around in his coat pockets for a moment and came up with a hot pink pen and a crumpled dollar bill. He thrust them into Inuyasha's hands.

Unfolding the dollar so as not to tear it, Inuyasha wondered if he remembered correctly that it was illegal to write on money—defacing government property. "What's the name?"

"Kouga," was purred back at him.

Scribbling a sloppy version of his name on the bill, he gave it and the pen back to Kouga. The other man however, did not seem to be ready to let him leave.

"Who were you visiting? I might know them."

Considering how star-struck the guy was over him, Inuyasha decided to use it to his advantage. "Some girl. Kagome Higurashi."

Kouga went from drooling buffoon to frozen in fear in three seconds flat. "K-Ka-Kagome?"

"Yeah, sweet girl." Inuyasha continued, pretending not to notice Kouga's distress. "My friend is dating her, but there's some other guy I'm worried about—her ex. The guy gave them trouble a few weeks back when my friend was picking her up for a date. The punk had his hands all over her. My friend really likes her, and if I find out who that bastard is, well lets just say he would have his fair share of reasons to be seen anywhere but in this city. I take care of my friends, you know?"

Kouga nodded numbly. Mumbling something of a farewell, the ran off, tail safely between his legs.

Inuyasha smirked. Being famous for playing a bunch of fake bad asses did have its perks. He didn't think he would have any more trouble from Kouga. He would have to keep an eye out though. He didn't like the fact he had been waiting in the parking lot, looking ready to fight. Inuyasha shrugged, he would just have to be careful and wait and see.

Giving Kagome's window one last look, he began to make his way home.

XXXXXX

**A/N: Anyone care if I keep working on this and forego updating Better Things just a little bit longer?**


	13. Knowing is Not Knowing

Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha. Inuyasha is the property of Rumiko Takahashi and Viz Productions.

A/N: Just so none of you have coronaries from anticipation anxiety, I want to say this story has a bit of a way to go. There's build up to the wedding, a little leveling off while they're newly weds, and finally build up to the end. Don't worry, I'm in the zone for this story at the moment, so it is getting my sole attention for a while, probably until its done.

Thanks to the following for reviewing Chapters 11 and 12: cougiecat1, **moussajinx**, KatCastle, **lilone**, KaIvAl, **Inuyasha Babybre**, **Kikyomustdie2**, **AutumntheReviewer**, **SeitekiTenshi**, **Sassa**, **Totally Kawaii**, **j jarviss**, **Rose of Sharon**, karshepottsoner18, **katcastle**, **Magawa**, **xXAngel of DarknessXx**, **Ru-Doragon**, Beatrix B., **cutee2054**, **Cold Kikyo**, **Sakura onto Hitomi**, srg1, **Tahitianbabe**, and **cyberdemon**

Sakura onto Hitomi: I'm graduating May 12th so you'll be done like a whole week before me. Graduation, its sooo crazy!

Sutlesarcasm: thanks for the email, its really encouraging to know fans are willing to wait so long for a story. I hope I can keep updating, but you're right, you never know what comes up in life outside of fanfiction.

A few of you also pointed out what a shitty name "Mr. Kikyou" was for Kikyou's husband. I know it is, but 1) I know little to nothing about Japanese names and 2) when Britney Spears married K-fed, there was a time when he was called "Mr. Britney" and "Mr. Spears". I also think that happened to a few other famous women who married no body men. So I was just playing around with that. I know, I watch WAY too much television.

If you asked me a specific question that I missed and you need to know, let me know. Or if I missed you (I did only do reviewers for 11 and 12) and you like to see your name in print (I know I do) tell me. I'm going to try to be more responsive to reviewers in the future because you guys are so great.

**Chapter 13**

Kikyou sat at her kitchen counter smoking a cigarette.

There really wasn't anything else she could do at the moment anyway.

All matters of shit had hit the fan earlier that morning.

And now she had no idea what to do.

So she was waiting to hear back from the suits from the movie studio.

As she put her cigarette out in the ash tray, she made little ash tally marks to count the things that had gone wrong in the last twelve hours.

First and foremost her bumbling security—who she shelled out a fortune for—had let a cameraman past and he had gotten pictures of her snuggling with her husband in their living room. That was by far the worst thing to have gone wrong. The only silver lining was the fact the paparazzi had not pegged him down as her husband—just some random guy she was with.

The second line of ash was for Kagome who had shown up mysteriously sometime in the early morning hours looking penitent but happy after being missing for the better part of the night. Kikyou fumed while thinking of her sister. There would not be so much media hype about this mess if she had not been seen in public the night before.

Finally, Kikyou thought of Sango who was still MIA. The most dependable assistant she had ever had had picked the worst possible time to go missing. Sango's cell phone was turned off and she was not in her apartment—unusually unreachable.

The phone next to her rang loudly, and Kikyou wondered if she should pick it up. The actress knew she probably needed to talk to who ever was on the other line, but she really didn't want to. Ever since she and her husband had been woken up before the crack of dawn to be yelled at, Kikyou had not been looking forward to this phone call.

Sighing, she picked her cell, flipped it open, and clamped it to her ear.

"Hello?" Listening to the squawking voice on the other end, Kikyou tried not to audibly groan. "Yes, I understand," more bitching and the actress was fumbling for another cigarette. "Today!? Are you sure?" She let the smoke and lighter tumbled onto the counter. "You are sure. I see. I'll let her know. You too, bitch." Clicking the phone shut, Kikyou dropped it onto the smooth tile of the counter. She snatched up the cigarette and her lighter and was in the process of lighting it when Kagome strolled into the kitchen, still looking serenely happy from whatever it was she had been doing the night before.

Kikyou couldn't take it anymore. Her frustration boiled the surface in an instant and she snapped.

"What are you so happy about?" She growled. "You do realize that we're fucked?"

Kagome stared at her sister blankly, one hand on the on the refrigerator door.

"Kikyou?"

"Don't _Kikyou_ me," she mocked, sucking hard on the cigarette she had managed to only light halfway. "You have the gall to sneak away from Sango last night and now you're here acting all innocent."

"Wow," Kagome held up her hands in self-defense. "Slow down, Kikyou, what's the matter? What happened?" Letting go of the refrigerator door and crossing her arms over her chest, Kagome tried to figure out was the matter with her sister. She had known she was going to be in trouble for sneaking around with Inuyasha, but Kikyou's flat out _rage_ was not what she had been expecting.

Kikyou was too angry and stressed to speak. She pulled out the newspaper covered with pictures of her and her husband and slammed it down on the counter. "I think we can safely say the shit has hit the fan, Kagome."

Kagome picked up the paper, the blood draining from her face.

"Open it, go to page ten," Kikyou commanded.

Obeying, Kagome found the page. Spread over the top was the headline, "Double Life?" followed by the subheading, "What does Inuyasha think?" The pictures accompanying the article were collages of her outside the club where the bachelorette party had been and the other half was of Kikyou and her husband curled up on the couch together looking like any homebody couple. The worst picture was probably the one of herself trekking behind a man with white hair and doggy ears.

"This is bad," Kagome breathed, unable to think of anything more eloquent to say. She could feel her hands start to shake and quickly she tossed the paper back onto the counter.

"No shit, Kagome," Kikyou barked. "Not only does this fuck with my fucking career, it fucks with my entire life! My personal life!" Kikyou didn't know how much more she could take. She was so close to getting Kagome out of her house and married off safely as planned and now something like this had to happen.

"I'm sorry Kikyou, I—" Kagome tried to say something comforting, but her sister interrupted her.

"You're _sorry_! What the fuck were you thinking of leaving that club? You do realize this is all your fault, leaving the party with some guy like any other tramp. I thought you were better than that, I thought I could count on you." Kikyou was crying now, and she tried to smudge away the tears without burning her face with the cigarette she clutched between her fingers.

Kagome jerked back like she had been slapped. Where was all this coming from? Her sister of all people had just called her tramp.

Her mind reeling, she could only manage a cracked whisper, "Kikyou?"

"The guy you were with, Kagome." She jabbed her cigarette at the back of Inuyasha's head in the newspaper picture. "Sango was right, and I didn't listen to her." Kikyou rested her head on the back of her hand, her elbow propped up on the counter. Tears flowed freely and silently. She sniffled loudly, but still kept her head bowed on her hand.

"I—he…" Kagome didn't know what to say. Kikyou knew about Inuyasha, in a way. Dating was so rare for Kagome, she almost felt embarrassed by the fact Kikyou know she had been spending time with a boy. Granted, her family had known about Kouga and perhaps suspected the other men she had been with in the past, but there was something nauseatingly scandalous about this. Not only did her sister know she had been running around with Inuyasha, the entire city—no the entire country—thought Kikyou was leading a double life with two mystery men before she got married because of her.

Shaken, Kagome took the bar stool opposite her sister. "I don't know what I was thinking. I—"

"You're damn right you weren't thinking," Kikyou hissed. Her head shot up and she glared at her little sister. "Who is he Kagome? Do you even know him? He's probably just another reporter using to you get a story. Do you ever fucking think or are you always like this? No wonder you were taking time off from school."

Kagome had had enough. "Are you always such a bitch? I said I was sorry—"

"Like that helps—"

"I know I should I have been more careful, and I wasn't, but I think this guy—"

"Kagome!" Kikyou jumped off her bar stool to loom over her sister, getting the younger woman's full attention. Slightly more calm but still urgently, she began, "You should know one thing about Hollywood guys: they use women. They use us for sex and publicity and that's it. However 'special' or 'different' you may think he is, I can assure you he's not. You may want to fuck with your own life like this, but please don't fuck with mine. Is this why you had to take a break from school? Because you had some guy trying a little too hard to get into your pants?"

Kagome started to cry with her sister's harsh words. Biting her lower lip, she tried to answer Kikyou, "Could you just leave school out of this?" Kikyou only glared in response, but stayed quiet. "I guess this is a bad time to say it, but I've met someone Kikyou. And I think he actually likes me." Suddenly, her words and actions sounded painfully naïve, but Kagome continued anyway, trying to explain the situation to herself and her sister. "He—he's a hanyou, and I like being around him. I don't think he's using me, he actually avoided me for a while. I've been sneaking off to see him," Kagome finished, unable to think of anything else to say.

"You are such a child, Kagome." Kikyou spat. "You are going to ruin everything for a stupid little crush!"

Kagome was feeling very guilty, but at the same time her sister's perpetual blame focused at her was not helping her quell the anger that she felt.

"I said I was SORRY!" Kagome screeched, stamping her foot in exasperation, now feeling even more like the child Kikyou was accusing her of being. A dark blush flushed her face and Kagome found herself staring at the ground.

"Sorry isn't going to get you anywhere." Kikyou said dryly. She turned to go, suddenly more poised, an indifferent mask on her face. "Go get dressed, the wedding has been moved to today for damage control. As soon as Sango can make it here, you'll be going to the church."

With that she made her way up stairs, leaving her baby sister to handle her wedding day all alone.

XXXXXXXXXXX

Sango was having the most wonderful dream. Not particularly sure of its events or even the landscape in which she was in, she still felt the greatest sense of calm she had known in an extremely long time. Snuggling deeper into the blankets that surrounded her, she suddenly came to the realization that she was not in her own bed.

She had only managed to fight her way out of the knot of covers and pillows she found herself buried in when the door to whoever's bedroom she had spent the night in swung open.

"Miroku! Get up! I have a prob…lem." The hanyou stopped short when his eyes locked on Sango, half propped up on one arm, her hair disheveled and spilling over half her head into her face.

"You—I—you're not Miroku!" The hanyou blurted out, his white puppy ears swiveling wildly on top of his head.

Reflexively, Sango clutched the sheets to her chest. It would not be her first time waking up in a strange guy's room, but it would be the first time a disgruntled hanyou had barged in on her asking for "Miroku".

_Miroku…Miroku…Why does that name sound so familiar?_

In a mind numbing rush of nausea, Sango found herself hit by the mother of all hangovers. Struck by the need to get to the toilet as fast as possible, she momentarily forgot the hanyou and dashed though the open door of the bedroom's bathroom.

Inuyasha flattened his ears to his head to block out as much as possible of the strange woman vomiting.

After several minutes, Sango returned to the bedroom, attempting to straighten her suit jacket, skirt, and nylons—all of which she was very pleased to have woken in. She looked to see the hanyou staring nervously at her, unsure of what to do with the weird woman who had been in his friend's bed as she was of him.

Working off her usual polite autopilot she used to get out tight spots in any Hollywood function, Sango decided to go on with introductions. "Good morning, I'm Sango," she said, holding out her hand. On seeing the hanyou's look of disgust, she quickly withdrew the hand, holding it behind her back.

"I'm…Yasha, I'm um," he looked her crumpled business suit up and down awkwardly, "I'm looking for Miroku. You haven't seen him have you?"

_Miroku…Miroku…Miroku!_ He was the guy from the club! She remembered the night though the blurry beer goggles of Yeager bombs.

"I'm assuming this is his apartment…house…condo?" Sango asked as she began looking for her shoes.

"Yeah, his house," Inuyasha, said, holding up one of Sango's heels just as she stood with the other.

Thanking him, she moved out of the bedroom, looking around. Immediately, she was drawn by the sound of someone snoring. Following the din she came into a living room where Miroku was sprawled out on his couch, like herself still dressed in his business dress.

Inuyasha came up behind her. "Sleeps like a baby," he said with a smirk.

At the sound of Inuyasha's voice Miroku snorted in is sleep, waking himself with a start. "Inu…yasha?" He asked blurrily as he made eye contact with the hanyou. The monk's eyes slowly drifted over to Sango. "Lady Sango?" Miroku exclaimed, now fully awake. "You're still here! I'll cook breakfast!"

Leaping off the couch, he rushed into the kitchen, leaving Sango standing where she was, the fact that she did _not_ eat breakfast still on the tip of her tongue.

Sango stared at the empty couch for a moment, wondering how any one could move so quickly before she turned on her heel and traced Miroku's steps into the man's kitchen. It was there she found him frying eggs, mixing pancakes, and cooking bacon all at the same time. The man appeared to be everywhere at once and to be working with as many arms as Kali.

"I don't have much in the way of breakfast goods, Lady Sango, but I hope its not too shabby," Miroku spoke quickly as he delivered a stack of pancakes with a side of scrambled eggs and bacon in front of Sango where she had flopped down, dizzy after watching him cook with all the speed of a cartoon character.

"I—I do…not," Sango could finish her statement. The smell of a home cooked meal was too tempting after years of avoiding such foods to stay thin. With the same speed Miroku had prepared the meal, Sango inhaled the breakfast.

Inuyasha stood in the kitchen's doorway, watching the interaction between his friend and the mystery woman. His own dilemma was momentarily forgotten. Most women were turned off by Miroku's enthusiasm and zealous attention, but in her own pretentious way Sango seemed to be reveling in it.

Inuyasha knew she was Kikyou's assistant and years of being the star's shadow had probably deprived her contact with normal men. No wonder she took to Miroku.

They were sitting chatting while Miroku slowly ate his food.

The couple's moment was interrupted by an obnoxious ring tone coming from the end of the table.

"Your cell phone, Sango," Miroku motioned with his fork. "You dropped it last night and I left it out here so you wouldn't be disturbed."

Sango smiled her thanks as she reached for the phone, which had by that point stopped ringing. "I'm sure its just my boss." She flipped the phone open, still talking to Miroku. "We have so much to do with—37 MISSED CALLS! FUCK!!!"

Sango jumped up from the table so quickly she toppled over her chair. "I have to leave," she said, already making her way to the door.

Miroku followed after her, "Can I see you again?" He sounded hopeful, but he was used to women running out on him. So many of them used him to get to Inuyasha and then when they found he wasn't going to deliver them on a silver platter to the actor, they left.

Sango, who had been distractedly flipping through the call times on her phone as she tugged on her shoes, now looked up at Miroku. "I'd like that."

"Can I get your phone number?" Miroku asked, a little braver.

"Sure."

After the two had exchanged numbers on their cell phones, Sango remembered the rush she had been in before. With a sweet smile to Miroku, she flew out the door.

"New girl friend?" Inuyasha asked jokingly.

Miroku stared at him blankly, as if he were just registering the other man's presence. "What are you doing here?" He asked, a little uneasily.

Inuyasha sweat dropped.

The anxiety he had been feeling since he had turned on the television that morning came back to him.

"I needed to talk to you," Inuyasha answered gravely, all the calm he had been feeling moments earlier gone.

Miroku nodded, leading the was back to the table and his half-eaten breakfast.

XXXXXXXX

For the life of her, Kagome could not stop crying. She was crying because of what her sister had said to her, she was crying out of frustration because Inuyasha would have seen the pictures that made it look like she was cheating on him. And the icing on the cake was that it was her wedding day to a man she was pretty sure did not like her.

It just wasn't fair.

"Really, Miss Higurashi, if you could stop the water works for just a few minutes, I could apply your make up. Its water proof, I just need to get it on," the make up artist was saying to her.

Kagome nodded, and try to calm down, but it only lead to more tears leaking silently down the sides of her face.

Sango, still wearing her clothes from the night before came up behind the beautician. "Marve, if you want to take five, I'll talk to her." The man nodded and left the room.

Once Sango was sure they were alone she turned back to her boss's little sister who was leaking like a fountain.

"All right Kagome, what happened?"

In a cracking voice, Kagome recounted everything from her date with Inuyasha to the fight with her sister to the fact Inuyasha would probably not want to speak to her again now that he thought she was two-timing him.

Sango leaned against the vanity's counter, listening intently. _So it was about a guy._

"I could say you brought this on yourself," Sango started carefully. Kagome's shoulders slumped at the assistant's words, and Sango decided that the younger woman had been through enough already. She didn't need further reprimand. "But," instantly Kagome perked up, but she still kept here eyes down. "You were only being human. I can't blame you for chasing after a descent guy in _this_ town." _Though you should have been more careful._

Kagome still looked like a deer in the head lights, but she gave Sango a small smile, and finally brushed the tears away from her eyes. "Thank you Sango."

"How about we get you fixed up?"

Kagome nodded, but a few stray tears slipped from her eyes.

Sango turned away from Kagome for a moment so she could roll her eyes. Glancing down at her watch, she saw that the ceremony was about to start soon.

"Is there anything I can do to make you feel better?"

Kagome looked down at her hands anxiously. "Can I borrow your cell phone?" She lightly dug her nails into her palms, but said nothing more.

Sango tried to think fast, but the only reason she could think of why Kagome would need a cell phone was to call her mystery hanyou. There was something about this that did not ring right in her mind. It was like a song she could not quite place—_exactly_ what was wrong was right there in the fuzzy haze of her mind, but she could not drag the answer out into the light. "You know," Sango started off carefully, trying to be soothing, "he's probably seen the papers, are you sure you won't just get more upset if you call him?"

Kagome hung her head and Sango heard a distinct sniffle.

"Your right, I won't try to call him. I don't think I could stand to know for sure that he's upset with me."

Sango silently sighed in relief. _Crisis avoided._

"But do you think he might what to talk to me? Maybe I can explain things," Kagome tried again.

Sango answered the younger with a pointed look.

Kagome let out a heavy breath slouching in the chair. "Fine, I'll forget about it. I guess I'm as ready for my close up as I'll ever be."

XXXXXX

Kikyou stared out the window at her back yard. She was feeling a little empty after the fight she had with her sister.

_Poor Kagome._

Here she was getting married, and she, Kikyou, couldn't even be there for her.

_One day little sister you will get married for real, and I promise I will be there._

Turning away from the window and the bright sun shine, Kikyou went off in search of her own husband who was surely doing something stupid with power tools.

XXXXXXXX

Inuyasha and Miroku sat in Miroku's car in an alley a few blocks away from the church where Kagome was trying to avoid her melt down. There, they were safe from reporters, and just to make sure, Inuyasha was still in his hanyou form.

"I don't know what to tell you Inuyasha—except that you can't let your anger get the best of you!" Miroku still gripped the steering wheel as he gave a sideways look at his friend in the passenger seat.

Inuyasha continued to stare out the window at the ever-so-interesting brick wall not a yard from the car door. "I know," he growled.

"You don't really know what is going on, and unfortunately there isn't time right now to sort things out with Kagome—Kikyou—Ka—who ever the hell she is."

"I _know_."

"So we just have to go in there, get you married, save your career, promote your movie, and in a year when you get a divorce, everything will hopefully be settled."

"I KNOW ALREADY!" Inuyasha exploded, punching his thighs with his fists as he jerked away from the window to glare at Miroku.

"All right, all right, you know," Miroku tried to sooth, holding his hands up in a peace offering. "No need to get your panties in a twist," Miroku said in a poor attempt to lighten the mood.

Inuyasha only hung his head. "I just don't get why it has to be this hard. I mean, my dad always said once you found your mate you would know by smell. You just _know_ you _know_, you know? And I fucking feel like I _know_. Kagome has to be it, so why would she do this to me?" He spoke in a low growl, so quiet Miroku found himself straining to hear his usually brass friend.

"You're relying on gossip, Inuyasha," Miroku said as rationally a possible. "And before you _know_ for certain don't beat yourself up like this."

Inuyasha nodded stiffly.

"You ready to go get married?"

"As ready as I'll ever be."

XXXXXXXXXXXX

Kagome nervously fidgeted with her bouquet. Several photographers had already taken her picture, and in spite of the burly security guards speckling the chapel, there still appeared to be a fair number of paparazzi around who were not on the guest list.

This _was_ supposed to be a publicity stunt.

Even if it was _her wedding._

Brushing away the flare of sadness, Kagome put on her Kikyou-happy face and glanced coquettishly at a camera man.

Her mind drifted to the man who was waiting for her on the other side of the sanctuary door, waiting at the alter to be her husband. Would Inuyasha be kinder to her when they were married? She knew they were supposed to go on their honeymoon and in the mean time, her things would be moved into Inuyasha's mansion. There, they were supposed to look like any other happy couple for any spying paparazzi.

The wedding march began to play, and the doors were swung open.

On unsteady feet, Kagome started on her trek down the aisle. Nervous, she looked up to see Inuyasha standing by the priest, taking her in with something that looked like a mixture of boredom and anger.

_The start of my perfect married life._

XXXXXXX

A/N: Ni hao my lovelies. I know I've been updating on Fridays and I missed the last one, but I now have me thesis done, and I got to go home for the weekend—even though my parents were without internet. So now I'm back, and I hope you enjoyed this chapter. The next will be the wedding/reception. At least I think that will fit nicely into one chapter, but I have been wrong before. If I have to make it two I will, but I doubt it. That chapter will probably be out next Friday. I really want to get it done this weekend, but with finals and the end of the semester coming up, I don't want to get over eager. Also, there's lots of fun to be written at the reception. This Friday, I have to present my paper at our school's symposium, so wish me luck. I hate public speaking, it makes me nauseous.


	14. What's in a Name?

Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha. Inuyasha is the property of Rumiko Takahashi and Viz Productions.

**Thanks to my wonderful reviewers as always**: SeitekiTenshi, j jarviss, Pim, DemonGirl11, Faded Lilac, MyInuYashaObsession

**AutumntheReviewer**: Thanks for the tips, and yes, Sango will find out very very, shortly. Patience is unfortunately a virtue

**Sassa**: you have so many good suggestions for this story, I may have to borrow one now. Thanks for the speech tips—I'll keep them in mind.

**Rose of Sharon**: No, I'm European American, but I've submitted myself to a year of Mandarin, and the most coherent sentence/phrase I can manage is "Ni hao"

**Ru-Doragon**: Cowers I do watch Charmed, and that's scary. I hope this is soon enough for an update. Lol.

**srg1**: I hate to say it, but as of now I have no great plan for Mr. Kikyou. But I'll keep him in mind—you never know when you need a plot twist. Thanks.

**A/N: **Whenever "Dun-dun-du-dunn" appears, its supposed to be the Wedding March. Its as close as I can get. Use your magical imaginations.

For the wedding vows, I Googled "wedding vows" and looked at like the first link. They had some New Age stuff or the like, and celebrity vows, so I just cut and pasted several together.

**Chapter 14**

Inuyasha didn't know what to think, much less do. Though he knew he had to stay where he was, his gut told him to make a run for it.

He was staring down the church aisle at the woman who had been the center of his confusion for so long. Kag—no right now she was Kikyou—was walking toward him.

Each and every one of her delicate footsteps was in time with the wedding march blaring from the organ. Everyone in the church had turned to get a glimpse of her, some fathers holding their younger children on their shoulders so they could catch sight of the angel making her way up to the priest and her future husband.

There was something about her bridal gown that Inuyasha did not like.

It was the kind of dress many an actress would kill for, but it did not fit…his Kagome. It was not something he would have thought she would have chosen for herself.

Inuyasha scowled at the bride._ Obviously, there is a lot you do not know about her._

_She is nothing more than a two-timing bitch, a tramp—she's using you!_

As the audience in the sanctuary "ooo-ed" and "awed" at the bride, Inuyasha couldn't stop the tiniest of smiles to tug at the corners of his mouth.

_She really is beautiful._

Inuyasha's eyes moved from her dress to her face, covered by a simple veil. He could see her face with its delicate makeup, her hair pulled up and piled on the top of her head. Kagome's small hands held the red and white flowers close to her chest, the bouquet's ribbon swayed with her movement.

_If only everything wasn't so fucked up._

XXXXXXXX

At any moment she was going to trip and fall.

At any moment she was going to trip and fall.

At any moment she was going to trip and fall.

_One would think being a famous actress would exempt Kikyou from being forced to wear stripper shoes to her wedding._

Kagome gritted her teeth. _I will not trip…I will not trip._

Everyone in the entire church was staring at her. It was true that at the few weddings she had attended she could remember every one turning to see the bride as she marched her way to her soon-to-be husband, but it was a completely different feeling when all the eyes were on her. Boring holes into her skull, body, and soul.

It made her extremely nervous, and she knew at any moment her face was going to break out in a violent blush or she was going to fall flat on her ass.

_One forth of the way there_. Dun-dun-du-dunn. _Eek! Why is that kid looking at me like that? _Dun-dun-du-dunn

Kagome flicked her gaze up to Inuyasha. _No, no, no. Bad idea. _ He still looked angry and appeared to be motioning her with his eyes to hurry up.

_Halfway there! _Dun-dun-du-dunn

As she moved, Kagome idly wondered where all the people in the church had come from. She didn't know anyone on the bride's side, and her father had not been there to walk her down the aisle. No one was from her family—not that that was a bad thing. She really did not know what her parents would think if they knew what was going on.

Glancing over at Inuyasha's half of the audience; she did not see any one who remotely looked as though they were Japanese.

And as far as she could tell, none of the hard-bodied rock-star types who had been at her bachelorette party the night before were in the church either.

_Who the hell are these people? Everything was so…wholesome. Like you would want when you trying to convince the world the wedding's groom was not gay._

_Almost there! _ Her mind screamed, pleased she had made it that far without falling or blushing the shade of a Coke can. Dun-dun-du-dunn.

She was only a few feet from Inuyasha when it happened.

Her heel—pointed and several inches tall snagged on the inner lining of the wedding dress.

Before she could make the final few steps to her place, Kagome found herself hurtling to the ground. Dun-dun-du-dunn.

_Of course I would,_ she thought dumbly as the ground continued to run up to meet her, as though she were in some kind of slow-motion action sequence.

At the last possible instant—Kagome thought afterwards that she could smell the cleaner they used on the carpet she had been so close—a pair of arms shot out, grabbed, and promptly righted her.

A soft blush speckled her face as Kagome stared into the eyes of the actor who still had his hands snuggly on her waist after saving her yet again from an embarrassing tumble.

There was a flash of concern in Inuyasha's face before he was again looking at her with disdain. A little too forcefully for her liking, Inuyasha tugged her to her place before the priest, and gave the man of the cloth a curt nod so he knew it was time for the wedding to proceed.

The priest looked a little taken aback by the interchange between the couple, but he opened his prayer book to the marked page. "We have come here today in the presence of God to join in holy matrimony Inuyasha and Kikyou."

The moment he began to speak, Kagome felt like the vein in the side of her head was going to explode.

_You are getting married._

Her hands felt sweaty against the silk that wrapped the stems of her flowers. She dug her nails into the fabric and tried to focus on what was going on around her.

_You are marrying one of the hottest—physically and career-wise—actors in the world. And he doesn't even know who you are._

The tightening in her chest that had been plaguing her all day worsened.

_I guess this pretty much screws the pooch with Inuyasha the hanyou. It will probably look like I lied to him about the day I'm getting married. And then those pictures._

Suddenly, there was a pressure on her hand, and she looked down to find that Inuyasha had taken her hands and was in the process of carefully turning her towards him. At the same time someone took her flowers from her, freeing her grasp.

They were now facing each other, his face so close to his own.

_He looks _familiar_…._ For a moment his eyes almost appeared golden, but then Kagome shook her head and the thought disappeared.

Before she could ponder the familiarity that seemed odd since she had seen the actor so many times in the past, the priest needed her full attention.

"First, the couple will recite the poem of devotion together. Inuyasha, Kikyou, repeat after me:

"I love you. Today is a very special day.  
Long ago you were just a dream and a prayer.  
Thank you for being what you are to me.  
With our future as bright as the promises of God,  
I will care for you, honor and protect you.  
I lay down my life for you my friend and my love."

The priest continued on with the ceremony, but Kagome found herself staring at Inuyasha who was now looking back at her. There was a fierce intensity to his eyes that made her a bit nervous, yet within the depths of his expression there was something else Kagome could not quite place. His eyes seemed to both glare at her and caress her face with their tiny movements.

"Kikyou, do you take Inuyasha to be your wedded husband? To have and to hold, to love and to cherish, in sickness and in health, in times of good and bad?"

Kagome had to forcefully stop herself from jerking at the priest's words, she had been so captivated by the violet eyes that had drawn in her attention.

_Right, I'm _Kikyou._ I'm supposed to say something._

"I, Ka—Kikyou, pledge to you, Inuyasha, as my friend, my love, and my companion to love, honor, and cherish as long as we both shall live." Kagome resisted the urge to smack herself in forehead. _I almost said my own damn name. baka, Baka, BAKA!_

"And now, Inuyasha, do you take Kikyou to be your wedded wife? To have and to hold, to love and to cherish, in sickness and in health, in times of good and bad?"

She could have been mistaken, but Kagome was sure Inuyasha hesitated. To her, there was a distinct pause—a gapping worm hole of time to be exact—where he murmured something completely inaudible to her human hearing. It was so quiet, so slight a sound that she could hardly catch precisely what he said.

But to her nerve wracked and heart sick ears it should like her name. It sounded like he was saying _Kagome._

Again, there was that marked stirring in her mind of a forgotten memory, something important about her name. But what could it be?

"I, Inuyasha, pledge to you, Ka—Kikyou, as my friend, my love, and my companion to love, honor, and cherish as long as we both shall live." Still watching his face closely, Kagome saw what appeared to be a flinch when he stumbled over her sister's name. She would have questioned it more, but the priest was still chugging through the remainder of the ceremony.

It still stung a little when he said Kikyou instead of Kagome.

_Who would have thought that would have happened?_

Taking the wedding rings from a beautiful little ring boy who Kagome was sure was a child actor she had seen in a number of sugary cereal commercials, the priest begin to speak of the importance symbolized by the matching silver-gold bands. "Kikyou and Inuyasha will now exchange rings at the same time. "Kikyou, Inuyasha, please repeat after me. 'I give this ring in token and in pledge of my constant faith and abiding love with all that I am, and all that I will become.'" Kagome's hands were shaking as she took Inuyasha's larger hand in hers, but she could still feel a matching tremble in Inuyasha's fingers as he slipped on her wedding band.

Once the rings were on, Inuyasha still did not let go of her hand when they turned back to the priest.

"Now that vows and rings have been exchanged, I give you Mr. and Mrs. Inuyasha Takahashi. Inuyasha, you may now kiss the bride." The priest spoke proudly, but he looked a little dismayed. The newly weds were nothing like the other couples he had married in the past.

The bride had her eyes cast down, away from her husband. The groom was flicking his eyes at the bride from time to time, something about his countenance screaming suspicion toward the woman.

The priest had to give a little gesture of joining with his hands to get the husband and wife to kiss. It was usually the favorite part for most couples.

Inuyasha and Kagome turned inward, once again facing each other. Neither quiet seemed to know what to do with the other.

Finally, slowly, Kagome stood on her tiptoes moving toward Inuyasha. Taking her lead, Inuyasha finally leaned in toward Kagome.

Kagome felt herself blush as Inuyasha kissed her. Guilt flared as images of the hanyou appeared unbidden in her mind.

As their lips met in a chaste kiss, the priest concluded the ceremony with a final blessing, "The peace and serenity of the heavens be with you all!"

Everyone in the church lurched to their feet and the room echoed with applause.

Second in volume to the sound of clapping hands was the noise from hundreds of cameras going off as hundreds of paparazzi clicked pictures. All were racing with their competition to get the first pictures to press of the new happily married couple.

XXXXXXXXXX

Inuyasha half walked, half dragged Kagome down the aisle.

_Are you retarded? You are supposed to be marrying Kikyou. Ki-ki-you. Even if she really is Kagome, Ka-go-me, you still have to call her Kikyou in your fucking wedding vows!_

God, he was so confused.

Glancing over his shoulder, he looked at the woman who is now his wife.

_My wife. Who the fuck would ever thought that would have happened?_

He had honestly never thought he would get married. He never thought there would be a woman who would willingly put up with him. He was foreign, he was a hanyou, he was known as a womanizing actor, and first and foremost he knew he could be an ass.

_Who would have married me—even with a gun to her head?_ Which was basically how Kikyou had been coerced by the executives into this stunt.

And now—in spite of the fact it was a massive publicity stunt _and_ his wife seemed to have some kind of personality disorder—he was married.

_To Kagome._

_Or is it Kikyou?_

Taking a final glance back at her, he couldn't help but smile.

Leading them both out of the chapel, he had the tiniest hope that things would work out. That whatever the papers were saying about "Kikyou," Kagome was really being faithful.

He could only pray.

Smiling a little more, he gave a final tug of Kagome's hand and walked out the open church doors.

XXXXXXXX

Outside the church another group of wedding goers were ready to throw rice on the newly wedded couple. To Kagome, they all looked like models instead of the upright crowd that had been at the ceremony itself, and there were even more photographers with larger cameras, shooting snap shots of their every move.

Inuyasha continued to tow Kagome along, taking little notice of the swarm of people around them. He was used to this after all.

Yanking her into the waiting limo after him, the couple found themselves alone.

They sat together on the same side of the double-seated back quarter of the car, staring at one another.

Kagome felt as though she should say something to her new husband, but nothing came to mind. The man before he was not only a stranger but in essence he was an ass. Every encounter she had had with him had been unpleasant—or at least had ended unpleasantly—and she had been forced to give up a really descent guy so she could marry this one.

_Damn you Kikyou._

Inuyasha for his part was once again lost in confusion. Here was this woman—extremely beautiful, possibly kind, but she was lying to him. He hated when bitches lied.

But he especially hated it when _his_ bitch lied to him.

Continuing to lock gazes with one another, the couple still did not say a word.

Being alone with her like this made all his fear of lies and infidelity flee his mind. He wanted to be near her. She was his wife after all, and at least for a moment he wanted to be near her with out the problems. Later would be the time for questions and answers. Now was the time to be close to the woman to which he was bound.

Inuyasha wished he could take off his charms so he could take in Kagome's scent, take in her taste. He regretted the fact that their first kiss had as a married couple had been while he was in his human form. He would never truly be able to know the flavor of her essence at _that _exact moment.

With out warning, it became an ache to get to her scent, her taste.

"Close your eyes," Inuyasha said hoarsely.

Kagome blinked in surprise.

"Excuse me?"

"Close your eye." Kagome still looked skeptical. "Please?" His need slipped into his voice with the last word the muttered.

Kagome still raised and eye brow, but complied, trusting. "You better not try anything. You never know when a girl is carrying mace."

Inuyasha chuckled at her statement. "Just don't open them, wench." Kagome wrinkled her nose, but said nothing.

Breathing in a whisper, Inuyasha released the spells that both made him human in appearance and blocked off his senses. He was tempted to bound Kagome's eyes with some cloth, but he had none. Not to mention he was pretty sure she would be upset and resist.

Moving slowly and carefully as not to frighten her into opening her eyes Inuyasha placed his lips just over Kagome's. He breathed out, telling her silently his intensions. With his eyes open, he knew she still held hers closed, and he crossed the tiny gap of space remaining between them.

Inuyasha had already inhaled the fragrance of her skin and hair, pleased that she had worn little perfume or makeup. When his lips joined with hers it was powerful spark. Inuyasha was afraid for a moment Kagome would open her eyes and see him, but he did not pull away. She tasted too good it felt too good to move.

Instead, he slipped his hands down to her waist, clutching her hips.

Kagome, obediently keeping her eyes closed, looped her arms around Inuyasha's neck, bowing her body to her husband.

_My husband._

Though she had been in a long relationship with Kouga and she had tried to move their relationship to more than mere dating, she had never really thought she would ever really get married.

_Who would want to marry me?_

She studied too much, seeing the inside of the library more than her own home. Most man avoided her thanks to her jeans-and-baggy-shirt uniform-esq clothes. When they were interested in her, once they figured out who her sister was, they only wanted Kikyou.

And now here she was, essentially married to Inuyasha.

_Too bad it was the wrong one._

Inuyasha nipped at her bottom lip and at the same time pushed Kagome flushed against the car door.

"Inuyasha," Kagome whispered, pulling back as best she could. "Can I open my eyes now?"

Inuyasha practically jerked back. Quickly as he could, he changed back into his human form. "Sure, go for it."

Finding himself immediately missing Kagome's warmth and flavor, Inuyasha knew that if he had his puppy ears they would be sinking to his head with disappointment.

Kagome blushed.

_What am I doing? I'm _kissing _Inuyasha! What about Inuyasha? I just kissed Inuyasha._

_Your husband._

_But—_

_And you liked it._

_Did not!_

Kagome did not realize that the argument in her head was causing her to give tiny jerks in the direction in which each particular voice seemed to be coming from. Inuyasha watched her with worry.

"Are you all right?"

"Call me Kagome," the confused girl blurted out.

Inuyasha's first reaction was to smirk, but somehow he suppressed it before Kagome could see. "Kagome?" _He had honestly wondered if she would want to drop "Kikyou" around his human form too._

"It's a nickname," she said lamely as she tried to cover up her blunder.

_What are you doing?_

_He had to say Kikyou's name to marry me. That does not mean he has to call me that forever. I don't think I can bear it._

_Fair enough._

Glad that her own mind had stopped arguing with her, Kagome turned her attention back to the man before her.

"A nickname?" He was asking her seriously.

"From my family. And now we're kind of family."

Inuyasha seemed to accept this, smiling widely as if something had just occurred to him. "Fine, but I get a nickname too. You will call me Inu."

Kagome suppressed the urge to giggle at the strangeness of the entire situation. "Fine," she said, smiling for the first genuine time all day. "Why are you being so nice?"

Inuyasha felt himself growl. Who was she to question his actions? Did she suspect something? He was going out of his way to be kind even though she was the one who had fucked up and now she was asking….

Her innocent question was the one microscopic straw needed to tap into the fathomless pit of confusion, despair, and anger that had been building within him for some time. His short temper was barely held in check as it was and he exploded.

"What the hell is that supposed to mean?" Even though he spoke quietly and looked away from her, Kagome could _feel_ the change in the backseat of the limousine. The sudden tension was tangible.

"I—I," Kagome couldn't form words. "I didn't mean anything," she swallowed hard. This was too much. Just as Inuyasha was overburdened with negative energy so was she. Too much was happening too soon. Tears started in the corner of her eyes, and she quickly brush them away.

"Great," Inuyasha smacking the tops of his thighs with fists. "Now you're crying." He moved to other seat, turning away from Kagome as she silently cried.

Kagome to moved the window opposite Inuyasha, scrunching up into the corner, tucking her legs underneath her. In the layered wedding dress, she looked like a gigantic fluff ball.

_How did I screw things up now? I can't even be around other people without pissing them off. First Kikyou, now Inu…I'm sure Inuyasha hates me too._

Swatting away another stubborn tear, Kagome resigned herself to her fate as the car sped its way to their wedding reception.

Inuyasha on the other side of the back seat felt like a tool. Just as quickly as his anger had surged, it was gone and now he regretted his actions. Keeping his anger and other emotions in check was so much easer when he was a hanyou; he _felt_ so much more as a human.

He had hurt the girl again—even if she had hurt him too. This was not the way to make a marriage work. Not even a fake one.

_And I don't know how to make it better._

Growling to himself, he decided he might as well not say anything else for fear of only causing more damage. He turned to the window and watched the scenery fly by.

Neither seemed to realize the comfort they would find in the other who shared their plight. Hiding oneself was never easy.

XXXXXX

**A/N: **Extra thanks to **Sassa **who's constant questions about what is going to happen next inspired the almost name slips in the wedding vows. I can't believe I almost missed that opportunity!

So yeah, I said Friday updates and that the reception would be in this chapter. I think under the school-induced stress the Saturday update is acceptable. There was no reception here because the limo fight was supposed to be there, but I think it fits better where it is. So next Friday's update is the reception. I will really try to keep this date because I don't think email alert thing is working right now, so just look for the chapter then. I've been planning the events of the reception for some time—before I knew what was going to happen at the wedding—so I think it should be good and happier than this chapter.

Thank you to every one who wished me luck on my speech and gave me tips—they helped a lot. I think I did pretty good, and my professor who proctored it said I had improved in presenting and jokingly suggested I write a book on my topic. So, cool beans as far as that went. One less thing to stress me.


	15. Memory Fault

Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha. Inuyasha is the property of Viz Productions and Rumiko Takahashi.

**Thanks as always to all my reviewers: **bakamai28, jullun, LiLaZnCrAzYgUrL216, X.x.X.Nymphet.X.x.X, Brownieluver23, negri87, MyInuYashaObsession, child of the silvery moon, Myr-Myr, KaIvAaL

**Sassa**: Yeah, good catch on the eye color thing—I think when I was editing I thought there was something off, but I could not place what it was. I had to go back and change it, but I'm glad you noticed so soon. My bad. Your general stream of ideas about the story is very helpful in that it keeps me thinking about new angels. While I'm at school I can't bounce ideas off my sister, so having someone else's view point is extremely helpful. Xiexie (Mandarin for thanks—kind of).

**AutumntheReviewer**: Thanks for taking time out of your vacation to review. That is dedication. Have fun wherever you are.

**Rose of Sharon**: I wish you could give me cookies too. Lol. Oh well, it's the thought that counts.

**srg1**: I'll keep Mr. Kikyou in mind. And yes, they will need therapy after all this. Maybe I could do a sequel with all their therapy sessions or something. Although I don't know how interesting that fanfic would go. Lol.

**Sakura onto Hitomi**: yeah, congrats on graduation to you too. I personally can't wait for mine, but I do wish I could skip all the finals garbage.

Chapter 15 

In a mercifully short amount of time, the limo pulled up in front of a fashionable club for the reception.

The newlyweds had only stepped out of the vehicle and things were already going badly.

Her foot had not hit the pavement when Kagome found herself being shoved along by Sango. Somehow Kikyou's assistant had materialized at the reception with a speed greater than what most would deem humanly possible. She already had everything set up, more fake guests waiting pose for the troops of paparazzi who had gathered like flies on a rotting carcass.

"What took you so long? We have to get the greeting line going!" With her hands on their backs, Sango pushed both Inuyasha and Kagome through a set of double doors. On the other side were pretty people, looking bored and jaded to Kagome as they lined up along the hallway.

The instant the "happy" couple was in place, the people in line began moving past them, pausing just long enough for their picture to be taken by a waiting photographer. They then moved on through another set of doors to go into the main room where dozens of white tables were waiting, along with a dance floor and a live band.

Kagome was surprised to actually recognize some of the people who were passing her. They were famous. More than one stopped to say something in a friendly tone, indicating that they personally knew Kikyou.

_Are they in on the lie too? Her friends?_

Then something occurred to her that both made her blood run cold and gave her the slightest sense of pride: she was acting well enough that they did not know the difference between herself and her sister. It was a compliment to her talent, but the thought that she was taking on the guise of her sister so naturally did not sit well with her stomach.

Kagome and Inuyasha stood side by side, their closest arms linked together. Kagome could not remember how they had gotten that way—if one of them had done it of if Sango had positioned their limbs as such—but there was somehow a sense of _rightness_ in the gesture. Maybe it was because they were married or perhaps it was something different, deeper. As each guest came along, Inu would shake their hand, and Kagome would give a half hug, neither never moving apart or breaking the connection.

_Being this close to him—its so comfortable. Like I know him better than I know I do._

Looking at Inu out of the corner of her eye, Kagome was surprised to find him staring right back at her. She gave him a faint smile before turning to greet yet another skinny model wearing a dress made from less than a yard of fabric.

_Why is he looking at me like that? _

She chanced another look when he was busy speaking to someone he seemed familiar with. He did not appear to be angry any longer; in fact his face looked more tired with creases of worry.

_I wonder what he is thinking right now._

_Probably that he has made a mistake_, Kagome thought distraughtly. _Sooner or later he is going to find out that I am not Kikyou, and then he will be very angry. Not to mention disappointed._

Inuyasha's thoughts were in fact distant from his anger. As he caught glimpses of his new wife when he did not have to schmooze another actor, he wondered about the woman on his arm.

_We need to talk._

It was sinking in that he was married and that they had a lot of problems.

_I'm married._

If she wanted to go on with her little "I'm Kagome, really Kikyou, but call me Kagome" act—for whatever reason—he would allow it. She might be more comfortable with things that way, but he could not be sure. They were married, they would soon be living in the same house, and when the time was right, she would tell him the answer to his many many questions.

_Or he would go into a blind rage and demand to know what the hell she was pulling._

But right now, they needed to talk, get more acquainted.

She looked small and sad where she was standing, and Inuyasha knew that he was the cause for her melancholy. He had to think of away to get her to relax and then maybe she would open up.

He reached for her hand, sliding down their linked arms, giving her fingers a gentle squeeze with his own as he twined them together.

XXXXXX

Sango was flying.

She checked to make sure the servers were serving the correct finger foods in the specified order: the food was staggered so they did not run out. She made sure the dance floor was polished but not too polished—the last thing they needed was a super model with a busted hip. After checking that the band was ready to play the stipulated list of songs in the set order, she felt as though she could relax just for a moment.

However the instant she let herself sag on her feet, she felt a firm had grasp her backside.

Spinning on her heel, she was ready to attack who ever had groped her, but all she found was thin air.

No one was remotely close enough to have touched her and gotten away so quickly.

_Maybe I'm imagining things, _Sango reasoned. She _was_ stressed and hung over….

Shrugging, she ended her moment's break and took off in search of the wedding cake so she could give the confection its final inspection.

XXXXXXXXXX

Once the last guest had been greeted and disappeared into the club, Kagome sighed in relief, grateful that the ordeal was finally over.

Turning to Inu, she found he was already heading toward the ball room of the club.

Before he got to the door however, Sango stepped through it, blocking his way. "And where do you think you're going?" Her hands were firmly gripping her hips, her tone demanding.

"To get a drink, can I do that?" The actor growled, his violet eyes practically flaring red for a second.

Sango, however, was nonplussed.

"No, Mr. Takahashi, you can not." Whipping out her palm pilot, Sango began checking her ultra-meticulous wedding schedule. "We have to announce you, you and Ka—Kikyou have to have your first dance as a couple, and then—" she paused, considering the list of times and events. "I _suppose_ you can have a quick drink after your dance—if you _really_ must," Sango's brow scrunched and her tone took on an air that said such a deviation could throw off all of her plans.

"That's just peachy, thanks," Inuyasha growled.

Sango nodded, then spun on her heel, calling over her shoulder that they would be announced in a moment.

Inuyasha flipped off Sango's retreating back, muttering something that sounded like "fucking bitch" under his breath.

Kagome had watched their interaction in silence, but she was growing tired of Inu's behavior. "She's put a lot of work into this. You could cut her some slack."

Inuyasha whirled around to find his wife there. He had forgotten her presence in his anger at being bossed around, and he glared at her for reprimanding him. Sucking in a deep breath he tried to calm the need to lash out at her, she was just protecting her assistant. _We do not need a repeat of the limo._

"What's it to you? You're paying her to work, not be a bitch." He said in a hostile yet civil manner.

Kagome had to stop herself from saying something stupid that would blow her cover. _Right, I'm paying Sango because I'm Kikyou. Kikyou, channel Kikyou._ "Maybe doing her job properly involves being a bitch to spoiled actors who can't wait five minutes for some watered down Vodka." Her words surprised even herself. Since he was no longer yelling at her, Kagome somehow managed to drag up her own courage, forcing on the mask she used when she played Kikyou, and in the end found herself scolding her husband for insulting her friend.

Inuyasha huffed, muttering more curses under his breath. Secretly, he was glad the girl was no longer crying—her tears did something to him that he would rather not think about. It made his youkai claw against its human restraints, and he had a primal need to comfort his bitch.

But her defiance did not sit well with him either. Somehow, he knew he would rather loose any fight with her than see her cry, but for the moment at least he still had his pride as a man and a demon. With doubts about Kagome still wandering his mind, he could not give up that last strand of dignity. At least not yet.

He had a cutting remark on his lips, but before he could say anything, Sango burst through the doors. "Its time," she said simply as she dragged them into place, side by side.

Inuyasha could not help taking Kagome's arm in his as they stepped into the ballroom where all of their "guests" were waiting. God, this woman confused his every emotion. One moment he wanted to pick a fight with her for the satisfaction of seeing how well he could get under her skin, the next he wanted to kiss her until they were both gasping for air.

It was safe to say she fucked with his emotions more than the use of the charms he employed to hide his hanyou form.

The lead singer of the band was saying their names, and everyone in sight was cheering, thousands of lights flashing as picture after picture was taken of their entrance.

Almost immediately they were swept to the center of the dance floor where Inuyasha and Kagome were forced to dance to something that had been declared to be "their song."

For a moment—an unbearably long moment in from where Kagome and Inuyasha were standing—they were frozen, staring at each other. Neither seemed to know what to do or if the other would be receptive to their action.

In the end, Kagome looped her arms around Inu's neck, leaning her head onto his chest. She had seen Kikyou doing the same with her husband at their wedding. When she felt Inuyasha snake his arms around her waist, pulling her even closer, she knew they looked as they should—a happy couple.

Feeling her face so close to Inu made a sense of the familiar press against Kagome's chest. It was like she had been near him like this before, but that could not be. They had never been this physically close, and she had never felt this comforted by his presence—as she was at that moment. But even his scent triggered and unreadable memory.

All eyes in the room were on them—both could feel it. Inuyasha found himself longing to have his puppy ears back with their super human hearing. He knew people were whispering, but over the obnoxiously loud music he could not hear a word.

Instead, all his focus drifted to the small form he was holding in his arms. Her ear rested over his heart so he was certain she could hear how it beat at a nervous pace. Inuyasha realized with the thought how nervous he really was.

_She makes me nervous—but in a heady, good way._

Tightening his hold on her waist, he heard Kagome gasp at the tender action. Inuyasha could not help but to smirk. He also could not stop his thumbs from caressing her sides. She blushed a little at the action.

At first, he was just going to brush it off. So what if his wife blushed?

But the more he thought about it, there was something to that blush that did not sit right with him. If she was a whore, using men faster than she could get them, why would she blush? Fuck, he had been closer to Kikyou than this a million times in their movies—touched her more intimately on set too.

And acting all innocent was not one of Kikyou's strong points. He had never seen her blush on cue.

_What the hell is going on?_ He wondered, not for the first time.

This woman in his arms had to be Kikyou—a different side of her, but still Kikyou.

Because if she wasn't Kikyou then who was she?

XXXXXXXXXX

Again Sango had felt a distinct squeezing of her rear. Again there was no one around who could have possibly touched her.

Scowling, she went back to touching up some of the center places.

The mystery groper better not get too comfortable—she was on alert now.

XXXXXXXX

The instant the dancing stopped, Kagome and Inuyasha were whisked up to the table with the rest of their fake wedding party for toasts from the maid of honor and best man.

A bubbly, painfully thin red head with mounds of curls piled onto her head, stood and began to gush about the first time "Kikyou" had met Inuyasha. Kagome was fairly certain not only would her sister have never chosen the woman for her maid of honor, she probably would never have befriended the girl in the first place.

There was something about the sappy story of love and intrigue the red head was spewing that made Kagome's fiery mood dim and dampen. When the anger had melted away, there was only a fragile sadness left to hold her together. She went from wanting to strangle Inu to longing to curl into a tight little ball and just die.

Kagome wanted it to be her wedding. She wanted it to be the flowers and dress and cake she had chosen. She wanted it to be her best friend giving the speech. She wanted it to be her guy that loved her enough to marry her sitting next to her.

Not this mockery for film.

Abruptly, she stood from the table, leaving the guests to continue their bored gazes into empty liquor glasses. Everyone was too concerned with body shape to eat.

Still after Inuyasha left the table behind her, no one noticed any difference.

All the guests was too busy posing for the cameras.

XXXXXXXX

Kagome found what appeared to be the only dark corner and quickly nested there. Plopping down in all of the wedding dress's white lace and satin glory, she curled in on herself, sinking into the expanse of fluff. There was something comforting about the wedding dress down—it offered her a shield from every thing that was spinning around her as she crouched in the dark corner. Just there, for that moment at least, she could let every thing go.

Somewhere distant, the best man was finishing his short speech, people were clapping, and the band began to play again.

Kagome realized that she had been feeling the same way for a long time, and finally she could place a solid name on the emotion: loneliness.

For weeks, she had been cut off from the world she knew, then Kikyou and Sango had barely had time to talk to her in the recent days, and Inuyasha—or the Inuyashas—only seemed to complicate her feelings.

Pushing her back more firmly up against the wall, Kagome tried to rid herself of her lonely and angry tears. Nothing felt real anymore. There was nothing she could hold onto. She was not herself; she was not in a world where she felt even slightly comfortable.

Nothingness.

Drawing her legs into her chest, she pressed her forehead firmly into her knee caps. She looped her arms around her legs in a way that was so much more forceful than how she had recently held Inuyasha. Coiled into a tight ball, she felt a moment's reprieve from all the chaos of people and lights that had become her constant if unwanted friends.

Darkness.

More and more tears leaked from her eyes. She knew she could have sobbed as loudly as she wanted and no one would have heard her, but there seemed to be no point in a violent torrent of tears. Instead Kagome settled for a gushingly endless stream. The liquid from her eyes leaked from her lashes, staining the wedding dress.

She was getting ready to fall, she knew it.

There was no sure way to tell how much more she could take until….

A firm hand shaking her shoulder wrenched her from her depressing reprieve.

At first she expected to find Sango attached to the hand, but instead her eyes came face to face with Inu.

The deep violet gaze held what on any one else would have been concern, but why would Inu ever be concerned for her?

"Are you alright?" He asked as he knelt down next to her.

Kagome could barely manage a nod.

"You don't look alright," he accused. Non-too carefully, he reached out and gathered her falling tears on his finger tips, holding the wetness up to her face in the dim light as evidence.

"Can't a girl cry?" Her forehead creased in a scowl.

"Weddings are usually happy occasions," Inu countered. He copied her pose, folding his legs into his chest, hugging them tight with his arms.

"So you say."

"You've been to a wedding where the bride ended up in the back room crying buckets?" He asked. This time, along with the annoyance, Kagome could have sworn she heard a hint of possible unease in his tone, but she could not be sure.

"No, but you would call this a wedding? Every place we go the guests change, Sango picked everything out, and then we're hardly—"

"Point taken," Inu laughed. The action surprised Kagome. She was sure she had never seen him laugh before—genuinely laugh like this. Something in him had relaxed.

_He has been under a lot of stress—_his_ reputation was on the line and he had too get married on top of that mess. Maybe that was why he was such an asshole…. _

_Maybe things will get better._

Kagome could not help smiling at the thought.

Thoughts of the other Inuyasha once again tried to rise up in her memory, but for once she shoved them down. She was married to the man in front of her now—Inu—and for as long as they were married she had to be faithful. No matter how much of a sham their marriage was.

"Do you regret getting married?" She blurted out the question. As she did, Kagome realized how much she needed to know the answer.

Inuyasha paused and Kagome could see he was regarding her intently.

"No," he answered finally. "But I do regret the circumstances."

"So you're ok with having to marry _me_?" She pushed.

Again, the genuine smile tweaked at the corners of Inuyasha's mouth. "No, I supposed I don't regret marrying _you_, Kagome."

There was something about the way he said her name that made Kagome lean toward him without warning. Her lips connected with his in a brief kiss before they both pulled away.

For Kagome, there was something _routine_ about being with the actor when he was like this nice; when he was being nice—like they had been friends for sometime. There was a fuzzy warmth that tickled her heart. It was a comforting feeling of the known as opposed to the general sporadic quality that was the usual manifestation of his behavior. When Inu was kind, it made her feel less lonely, less sad, less confused. He was in danger of becoming the something she could grasp in this entire mess.

_But what if he doesn't want to help me?_

_Can't I at least pretend? If I can't be with Inuyasha right now, can't I pretend Inu is the one who wants me? This is all just make believe anyway._

Again, Inuyasha noticed that his wife's face was covered in a very distinct blush.

"You want to get away from here?" He found himself asking. He had been aching to leave since before they had arrived, and now that Kagome seemed to be in a little better mood—even if she wouldn't tell him why she was crying—he was ready to make a break for it. Once they were away from the wedding-ness of it all, perhaps they communicate without tears or anger.

"I thought you would never ask," Kagome beamed, though worrying signs of sadness were still around the corners of her eyes. There really was something about Inu acting the way he was that made her feel better. Of course, anything was better than sitting in a dark corner crying or having him yell at her.

_But he's an actor. What if he's acting sweet now? He's done that before. Marriage doesn't change people for the better._

Kagome chewed her bottom lip nervously for a moment.

_You'll never know unless you try._

In spite of her conflicting thoughts, when Inu offered her his hand, she took it and he helped her to her feet. She still felt a little reluctant, but this time she was going to be cautious. At the very least, her new husband deserved one final chance.

But if he hurt her again, she was telling Sango, and the assistant could kick his ass.

XXXXXXXXXX

The said Sango swooped in on them the moment she saw them.

"Where have you been! We have to cut the cake!" Without waiting to see their reactions, Sango forcibly manhandled them to the seven-tiered wedding cake.

"Here," she thrust the cake cutter into Kagome's hand and dashed out of the way of the cameras.

Approaching the cake slowly, Kagome felt another twinge of sadness, but it was quickly gone when Inuyasha stepped up beside her, slipping his hand over her's, she felt a little warmer. He wrapped his free arm around her waist, pulling her flush against his chest so they could move in unison.

Sliding the metal utensil into the soft white icing, Kagome and Inuyasha broke off one and then a second slice of cake. Carefully they each took a piece, looking questioningly at the other as they turned to face their new spouse.

A sudden glint appeared in each of their eyes and without warning, Kagome and Inu shoved cake at the other's mouth. Icing was smeared in all directions, slathered into the previously clean skin.

Both broke away, unable to control laughing at their actions. After several minutes of giggles and the crowd staring at them blankly, Inu drug Kagome to him in a one armed hug, swooping in to plant an icing-laced kiss on her forehead.

Quickly, she moved in his arms, pulling his face down to hers so she could return the favor.

The sound of someone clearing their throat brought the couple out of their moment. Looking over, they found Sango waiting with tapping shoe to haul them off to the next wedding festivity: throwing the bouquet.

On cue, the singer for the band announced that the bouquet was about to be thrown. Instantly, the dance floor was covered with female singletons. Kagome was taken aback by their numbers—there were so many.

With Inuyasha still by her side, she turned her back the mob of pushing and shoving girls. Without any warning, she chucked the flowers over her head.

Unfortunately, they flew over the grasping hands and were in danger of crashing into an ice sculpture of a gigantic swan.

On reflex, Sango took running from where she had posted herself. Launching herself into the air, she was just in time to tackle the cluster of flowers and ribbons and neatly roll out onto the floor, thus saving the swan from a certain shattered death.

Only when she was sure the ice swan was unscathed and she noticed the pack of seething girls glaring at her did she realize her mistake in catching the bouquet.

_Shit, just what I need._

XXXXXXX

Careful to avoid any single women who might try to lynch her, Sango still managed to get Kagome and Inuyasha in place for the garter removal.

Sitting on a cold metal chair from the club, Kagome nervously looked down at the man kneeling before her.

There was something about the reception that had brought them closer together—or at least she thought it had. Unlike the time he had kissed her under the arch at the wedding venue, Inu didn't seemed to be posing for pictures or intentionally trying to say hurtful things. Instead, he was being careful with her. Almost like a friend.

It was nice.

_I could get used to this._

_But what about Inuyasha? The hanyou? Are you just going to forget about him? He may not even know you're married yet. What will he say then?_

_Can't I just have both?_

Again, as the thoughts arose, Kagome pushed them back down. She wasn't allowed to think about Inuyasha right at that moment.

Not when Inu had his hands up her skirt and was slowly pulling down the scrap of lace and satin that made up her garter.

For the millionth time that night, she blushed.

_This is soooo embarrassing—being felt up in front of all these people! Whose idea was this? When I get married for real—no, no, no garter!_

Inuyasha finally removed the garter, slipping it off over her foot. Standing, in a gesture of cocky male pride he twirled it around his finger before chucking it out into the crowd of drooling men. Much like the bouquet that had preceded it, the garter zoomed over the hands and heads of the crowd, only to land delicately around the wine glass of a man standing alone.

Miroku looked questionably at the scrap of cloth for a second before he realized what it was.

There was a call from the band for the bouquet girl and garter boy to dance, and suddenly he found himself being shoved into the center of the dance floor.

People pushed and shoved a woman before him and in the time it took Miroku to recognize Sango as his dance partner, he also knew there was a good possibility that he was in deep shit.

XXXXXXXXXXX

Inuyasha took the opportunity of the distraction to lead Kagome out of the crowd of beautiful people to a secluded corner of the dance floor.

Tugging her close, he tucked her into his embrace, leading her head to his chest as he lowered his nose to her shoulder, coiling his arms around her waist to keep her in place.

_If only I could smell _right_ now._

The song was slow and probably romantic. The two just swayed to the music, for once not conscious of all the strangers around them.

_I wonder if real marriage is like this. _Kagome wondered. _Peaceful and warm._

Lulled into a calm place, Inuyasha decided then was as good a time as any to begin making amends to the woman in his arms—to his wife.

"I'm sorry—for all the times before when I was a jerk." Kagome did not try to move so she could see his face. She only gripped her small arms around his waist a little more. Inuyasha continued, "I promise—and I can't say I won't break this promise—but I'm going to try to be better to you. If for nothing else than for the sake of our marriage." Breaking away, he looked down at her. "Who knows how long we're going to be stuck together." Gently, he tucked a stray strand of hair behind her ear.

"I understand," Kagome said. "I'll try to be a good wife—as long as we're stuck together." Sighing, she gave Inu a final hug. "I just want to go away from all of this."

His head resting atop hers, Inuyasha smirked. "We do have a jet chartered for the Mediterranean for our Honeymoon."

Kagome smiled to herself. "And they say you should get to the airport _long_ before your scheduled departure time."

"Right, we should get going. We wouldn't want to be late."

"Right."

Unnoticed by anyone, the famous newly weds ducked out, disappearing from their own wedding reception.

XXXXXXXX

"Miroku?" Sango asked as she mechanically slipped into the man's arms, moving to the music. Other couples began to join them, and they were soon surrounded as they slow danced.

"Miroku, what are you doing here?" Sango stared, bewildered at the man she had only met last night.

Miroku wasn't sure what to say. He couldn't tell her he was at the wedding with Inuyasha—she had just seen him with the hanyou that morning. She could easily put two and two together. The fact that she had not yet surprised him. He recognized her from the time Inuyasha and Kikyou had run into each other at the supermarket and from the television shows. He wished she would remember him as well—though just not at that moment. It would be very bad for things if she found Inuyasha's identity.

In the end, he went for the lie. "I'm crashing. Saw a wedding, thought it would be fun."

Sango did not buy it. "I'm not stupid. I can tell when someone is lying to me, and you are particularly bad at it."

_Fuck_, Miroku inwardly groaned. She was making him very nervous. It was giving him the kind of anxiety that would make him say anything so he could escape.

"Well, my friend—and I…you know. And then…Inuyasha—I mean Yasha was…"

Sango was still looking at him as though he had a mental deficiency. "You know Inuyasha, _the actor_?" She asked suspiciously. It was the only thing she could make of his incoherent ramblings. "You weren't on the guest list."

He tried to make a run for it, but Sango held him in place without any effort.

_What was with this girl did she play football or something?_

Miroku began having one of those moments. One of those moments one has when one is under extreme stress and will grasp at even the slightest straw that will lead them out of the predicament. "No, not the actor, my friend Yasha from this morning—Inuyasha." He explained, trying to change the subject. However, the micro-instant the words were out of his mouth he knew they were a mistake. It was as though someone had lopped off the top of Sango's head and he could peek inside, seeing the gears turning as she did basic addition.

Miroku panicked.

In a last ditch effort to distract Sango, he groped her.

Unfortunately for him, the feeling of his hand on her backside not only distracted her, it triggered a string of connected memories Sango had long ago drove down with the help of wedding plans, late nights fueled by coffee, and worry.

It was like a divine vision, really.

A beautiful lucid stream of images pulled and locked together fluidly with vibrancy and coherency.

_Kagome and a hanyou fighting over cereal. A man in black and purple laughing at them right before he grabbed her ass. _

_Miroku with the hanyou._

_Standing in the wings of the television studio, watching the man opposite her as Kikyou and Inuyasha chatted on the couch._

_Miroku with the actor._

_Waking up in a strange house with Miroku and a hanyou._

_Miroku here at the wedding for Inuyasha the actor._

And as her mind made all the sharp connections, her hand was fueled by the mental spark and her palm came down powerfully on Miroku's cheek, leaving a little red hand print.

_Holy shit-eating fuck._ Sango could not believe what her mind was telling her, but once the connection was made, it would not disappear, not vanish.

Inuyasha the actor was Kagome's hanyou.

Kagome was married to her hanyou and—

…And she didn't even know.

_What does it mean?_

With a horrified look in her face, Sango looked at Miroku. The man was nursing the red mark on his face, but his eyes reflected her own. He knew she knew what she knew.

Fisting the sleeve of his shirt she yanked him to club's kitchen. Sent him flying through the double doors might explain the action better.

"So you're Inuyasha's friend?"

He nodded, looking down unable to meet her gaze.

"And he's—"

Miroku nodded again, looking up at her. "Yes, and we would appreciate your silence."

It was Sango's turn to nod. "I'll have to tell my boss, you understand. But not a word to the press."

She flitted out of the kitchen before Miroku could decide if he should stop her or not.

XXXXXXXXX

Sango couldn't find Kagome or Inuyasha anywhere. She looked under tables, in the girl's favorite crying spot, outside.

The two had vanished.

When she called the airport on a whim out of desperation, she found that they had arrived before schedule and had already left on their charted plane.

Hitting the speed dial on her phone for her boss, Sango nearly cried out in relief when the actress picked up. "Kikyou, we have a problem."

XXXXXXXX

**A/N: Ok, this is officially my longest posting ever. 16 pages in Word. But I finally got in everything I wanted to get in for a chapter. Yay.**

**So as far as I know, is being super slow with their updates—I just got reviews this morning that were posted earlier in the week. I'm pleased I got this chapter done at all, and its on time!**

**If it seems like Kagome is going through an emotional roller coaster. That really is my bad. I tried to fix it, but it came out that way. The last couple days haven't been the greatest, and I've been pissed off, disappointed, happy, lonely, and excited in very short succession. I guess that's to be expected when one is about to make a big change in one's life, and I think graduating from college counts. Hopefully Kagome and Inuyasha don't have too bad of mood swings, I really did try to fix them.**

**It occurred to me that it would be really easy to distinguish between hanyou and human by calling one "Inu" and the other "Yasha". So that's why there was the change beginning in the last chapter and continued in this one. I know, I should have started it earlier if I was going to do it all, but at least I didn't drop it into the story completely randomly. I need this for my sanity as a writer.**

**Lastly, I might—MIGHT being the key word here—be taking a TINY little break from this story. Its been harder and harder to write the chapters, as I think you can tell by the shoddiness of this one. I just need a break to regroup before writing the end. I think I'm going to write the next chapter a little more slowly (since it is pretty relaxed content wise) and possibly work on this little one shot I've had in mind for a while, and then I'll write the end. From my outline, including the epilogue this story has about seven more chapters, but I might be able to condense a few of those. See, when I was doing my outline, I seemed to think if I could write "wedding/reception" on one paper line that they would easily fit into a single chapter. So I also have all of the complicated action/feeling descriptions on multiple line, but they might be able to be bunched together. You'll be getting the same number of events, but just in a shorter amount of time. Just have patience—and please not flames about the break (if I have one—I might get on a roll with this story. My muse is a fickle bitch). I understand rants and threats, but no personal jabs please. **

**As always, thanks for reading.**


	16. Dreamland

Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha. Inuyasha is the property of Rumiko Takahashi and Viz Productions.

**Thanks to my super cool reviewers. You make writing fun and interesting. Lol: **SeitekiTenshi, Cherryblossombabe, Rose of Sharon, DemonGirl11, LiLaZnCrAzYgUrL216, angelqt1231, child of the silvery moon, firevixen73, anastassia, Rachel (aka Pokiepal), kagz243, lese majeste, amumregisteredatthemomentmember, moussajinx

Jullun: Did not know that about "jeez" and Norwegian. Learn something new everyday.

Im it today: Um, this (painfully obviously) is not the place where the manuscript contestants for the Pulitzer Prize go. I hate to break this to you, but you're reading fanfiction. If I had a lollipop for every stupid thing, plot hole, and gap in reality I have seen (in my own work and the works of my esteemed fanfiction colleagues) I would have a fucking ton of lollipops. Don't sweat the details, and just have fun with the stories. If you can't handle that, this fic is not for you. Sorry.

Ru-Doragon: I'll see what I can do with the chapter arrangements. I did go back and read some of my notes and what I have down for an entire chapter might be one or two pages long. But knowing me, I'll open my big mouth and come up with something else to write about. No worries. It does suck to have younger siblings get older. Mine's about to turn 17—I really don't know what I'm going to do. Her actual age is practically equal to my age of emotional development.

srg1: I'm glad you noticed the "Can't I just have both?" comment. I thought it made an interesting parallel to the series. Thanks for your support and your patience. Both are much appreciated.

Sakura onto Hitomi: you're right, the name thing does fit in well—a new beginning a new name. I will try my very best to enjoy graduation, and you have a blast at yours.

cutee2054: yeah, needs to jump start its alert system. Though I think its working now. Since I can not read tone in reviews, I am going to assume you are legitimately confused about the whole Inuyasha-Kagome-bitch thing. So I am going to explain it, under the assumption that you are not being sarcastic (which if you are, I get that too, it is pretty clichéd, and for that reason I'm a little ashamed to have used it, but I do think its cute, and it fits with his demon side). Here goes. Inuyasha is a dog demon, and as we all know, female dogs are "bitches". By calling her his bitch, Inuyasha is basically saying Kagome is the female dog for him—his bitch. He's being possessive and masculine as we all know he can be, and "bitch" is the representation of his demon's side's actions. Make sense?

xXAngel of DarknessXx: You are not annoying—enthusiasm is good.

AutumntheReviewer: So many questions! Lol. Ok, I'll answer the ones I can without spoiling anything. Mediterranean because I went to Italy last year for Spring Break and loved it. Though after I wrote it, what passes for "Mediterranean" is really a combination of what I think the Mediterranean would be like and Florida. Oops. Probably no lemon, mainly because they're essentially action sequences (how characters are moving, where hands are, stances, etc), and not only am I bad at action sequences, but I don't really like to write them: I get bored. I'll keep the Miroku idea in mind for the next chapter—I have to admit I've been concentrating so much on what Kikyou, Kagome, Inuyasha, and Sango know and should know, I forgot about Miroku. My bad.

**I'm sorry if I forgot anyone, I wasn't as meticulous about getting questions and names down as I have been in the past. Thanks to everyone who reviewed.**

**A/N: Ok, so I don't really understand the meaning of the word "break". This story is so complicated that the last time I left it alone for too long, I honestly wasn't sure if I would ever be able to finish it. So, I kept picking at it on my supposed break, and in the end, this is what I got. This chapter is a little shorter than last few (especially if you cut out the author's note and review comments), and I think this length works better. I was really getting burned out with all the editing.**

**So I am going to try to keep going, but at a slower pace. I'll post when I can and try to get this thing done! Sorry for the false warning with the break thing, but I didn't want anyone thinking I had died.**

XXX

Chapter 16 

"Gelato for the lady?"

Inu smiled down at his bride where she was spread out on a big green, purple, and blue beach blanket. He offered her an ice cream cone with two scoops of Italian ice cream—her favorite: one Nutella, the other pistachio.

"Thank you, sweetie," Kagome smiled brightly. She took the cone from Inu as he slipped under the beach umbrella beside her.

They were back to acting fake again (even if they actually had to _act_ less to appear happy): the European paparazzi had found them after two weeks of hiding. Much to the movie studio's chagrin since their Honeymoon was supposed to be used for publicity for both stars.

At the moment, Inuyasha and Kagome were on a beach of the Mediterranean Sea that's borders were surrounded by reporters trying to sneak in past the security. Though there were other celebrities vacationing on the beach to make the guards sincerely vigilant in maintaining privacy, Inuyasha and "Kikyou" seemed to be the big story.

But regardless, the two weeks before that had been unbelievably brilliant.

Inuyasha had been a gentleman as opposed to his typical ass-hole self. The two of them had been able to talk, get to know one another. Given the chance, Inu and Kagome were finding they could get along. In reality their situation was not marriage so much as a feeling of coming closer to a really good friend.

Within the solid two weeks they had had before the press had caught up with them, Kagome felt as though they had really connected. They were close enough that Kagome actually felt a fluttering of guilt for not telling Inu the truth. Yet, no matter how big a role she played in it, it was not her secret to spill. So she threw herself into enjoying her fake married life. If she squinted her eyes enough to reality, it was almost as if she were really married…sort of.

_Two figures were stretched out on a single deck chair that had been crammed onto the condo's balcony over looking the sea._

"_Color?"_

"_Green. Yours?"_

"_Red. Food?"_

"_Oden. Though right now anything but Ramen could be it."_

"_Blasphemy!" Inu growled, nipping at her._

"_You try livi—" Kagome stopped herself. It was becoming more and more difficult not to say things that Inuyasha that would give her and Kikyou's secret away. Whenever she was around him now, her guard wanted to do nothing more than slip. "Well, what's yours?" She demanded, trying to hide the blunder._

"_Ramen, duh," Inu replied, flicking her on the forehead._

_Kagome breathed a silent sigh of relief and they continued their game of "Get to Know Your Spouse."_

The cozy beach bungalow type condo they were staying in had two bedrooms, which had relieved a great deal of worry for Kagome. Every morning, they would get up and eat the breakfast brought to them by the hotel staff, then go for a walk on the beach. They would pick up seashells and by the third day Inu was holding Kagome's hand during these morning promenades. Adorning one of the cute sundresses Sango had packed for her, Kagome would wade in the warm water up to her calves as she breathed in the sun shine and salt water.

When they would get back to their lodgings, it would usually be time for lunch—also brought into their room by a maid in a pressed uniform. She would push in her little white-table-clothed cart, and spread out a meal of things Kagome could not always recognize, but all tasted good. It sure as hell beat the Ramen she had previously been living off of at school.

In the afternoon, Kagome and Inu would go shopping, or to the beach, or even on a few days they managed a sight seeing tour of local ruins or museums.

All and all, Kagome felt very pampered, but very cut off from everything. Everything was for her personal fantasy world, and reality was suspended in so many different ways. She had been so restricted from the Internet and her cell phone while she had been living at Kikyou's that she felt no need to check email or even look at the messages the maid brought in with their breakfast every morning.

She was so at peace that nothing seemed to matter for the moment, and Kagome felt no urge to contact her sister or Sango. If she were to contact them, Sango would just harp on her and Kagome wasn't even sure if Kikyou was finished being mad at her. For all she knew her sister was still angry, and Kagome had no desire to be scolded again.

So, without looking at the messages laid out next to her coffee, Kagome would toss them into the waste paper basket, not giving the tiny scraps of paper a second thought. Nothing could be so important that it was worth the risk of breaking the first calm she had experienced in a long time. It could all wait until she got back to the States.

Now that she was on the beach with Inuyasha, Kagome hardly gave thought to either the paparazzi around them with their zoom lenses or her sister.

Instead of thinking anything substantial, she snuggled next to Inuyasha under the shade of their beach umbrella. Both were ready for their afternoon nap.

Cuddling closer to her husband's chest, Kagome couldn't help but smile.

She felt so content.

But there was a surreal quality to everything that was happening that made Kagome want to wake up from the dream she knew she must be having.

There was something about Inuyasha that was eerily familiar, which only added to her unease because she could not place the memory. It was in the way that he said her name, the way touched her hip as they walked, the possessive look he got in his violet eyes when they were out in public. She liked the attention, the feeling of being liked, but the vibe that something was off could not be shaken.

Just like the messages she had refused to read, Kagome shove all other troubles away. She knew she was living in a dream, and she felt an urgent need to savor the calm before the storm.

XXXXXXXXX

_Walking down the crowded street, Kagome and Inuyasha moved hand in hand, taking step for step. Vendors were selling food, but for the most part they were pandering tacky t-shirts in day-glow colors that shouted out messages in a language Kagome could not understand. The day was bright and her eyes were covered by a large pair of sunglasses Inuyasha had bought her. A warm wind blew into from the ocean, stirring Kagome's long black tresses._

_Inuyasha looked back to smile at her. His own dark hair was stirring with the sea breeze, but he had restrained it in a low pony tail._

_When he turned back around the see where he was going, the actor froze. There, in their path, were two paparazzi, looking about the market place as if they were scavengers searching out the scent of a corpse. They had lanyards on which swung large signs screaming out "PRESS." As if the huge cameras the men were carrying were not a big enough of a tip off._

_With a speed that would have rivaled his demon side, Inuyasha hauled Kagome along with him out of sight into a darkened alley. In their flight, they nearly ran into a mother pushing her baby carriage. The irate woman began cursing the couple, but neither Kagome nor Inuyasha could comprehend her threats._

_Safely away from prying eyes, Kagome found herself staring at the bright eyes of her husband. After a moment of silence to make sure they had not been followed, the couple burst into laugher. They were practically doubled over with their fit of giggles. _

_Inuyasha was the first to recover. He slowly closed in on Kagome, moving like any predator stalking its prey. Pressing her up against the wall of the alley as she let out her last few whimpering laughs, Inuyasha swooped in and kissed her._

_The couple slumped against the way joined at the lips._

_When Inu at last moved away, he smiled down his wife, more pleased with her at that moment than he thought himself capable of. Their marriage might have been arranged, but their Honeymoon (though lacking in sex) was as normal as any other._

Maybe I should just come clean about who I am…._ Inuyasha pondered, not for the first time._

_Kagome slipped her hand in his, and once they had made sure the paparazzi had moved, they stepped back into the street to continue their shopping._

_Kagome couldn't help but hope things would stay the same once they returned States side, but some how she knew she was living in a perilous situation._

He's going to feel so jipt if he learns I'm not Kikyou….

XXXXXXXXX

"What the fuck? Did she die or something?"

Kikyou flung her ashtray at the wall across from her desk. She had just gotten off the phone with manager of the condo where Kagome and Inuyasha were staying on the Mediterranean Sea. She had called hoping to get a return to one of her many messages, but the woman had told her Mrs. Takahashi had left no response.

"It appears not, Kikyou," Sango answered as she quietly entered the room. Gently, she set down some of the European tabloids that had come in that morning. Even though Kikyou could not understand a word of their foreign scripts, the cuddly pictures of Kagome and Inuyasha on a sunny beach spoke volumes.

"She looks happy," Kikyou commented as she lit a cigarette. She pulled a new ashtray out of a desk drawer.

"The press says she is."

Kikyou nodded, her eyes refusing to tear away from the pictures of her sister, concentrating. After a minute of silence she finally spoke, "Then do you think we really need to tell her the truth? If she's getting along so well with Inuyasha, do you think it might be a bad idea to burst her bubble? They do say ignorance is bliss."

Blowing a ring of smoke in the direction of her assistant, Kikyou reclined back in her chair so she could look full on Sango's face.

"There's no guarantee she'll never find out. And if she knows we knew all along that she was married to the human form of her hanyou crush, I a have a feeling Kagome will be pretty pissed. You know her best, but I'm not sure if that is a situation we want to put ourselves in."

"No, you really don't want a pissed of Kagome on your hands," Kikyou said with a shudder. "But its going to hurt her now not matter what we do."

XXXXXXXX

One hand behind his head, the other coiled around the hip of the woman resting next to him, Inuyasha felt at peace. As Kagome snuggle closer to him, Inuyasha checked to make sure she was still asleep. She was.

It was a strange feeling, being relaxed around so many people. But there they were, on a beach surrounded by hundreds of people, taking an afternoon nap like any other couple. Overhead, Inuyasha could see white cloud after white cloud cross the sky, and the entire day was complimented by the crashing of the waves not far off from where they lay.

They had been married for two weeks.

Two weeks of being alone with his bitch.

Two weeks without seeing the Kikyou persona rear its ugly head. Kagome had really relaxed and opened up to him. She had told him about her college years (he had never heard of Kikyou going to college), her high school friends and their endless attempts of trying to get her to go out with the most boring boy in the entire world, even her favorite music and movies and tid bits about her family.

Although, on that last one, there was something she seemed to be hiding something. He did not know for sure that she was lying about her family without his sense of smell, but she did seem to clam up on the subject. She had spoken animatedly about her mother, father, and younger brother, but the instant she spoke of an older sister, she turned white and changed the subject.

Odd, very odd.

Regardless, he had found out that, even without his sense of smell, she was something great.

In spite of what he had previously believed about Kikyou, this girl currently in his arms knew how to laugh and play. She could be serious too, but she knew what it was to have fun.

It was almost like the Kikyou he once knew and the Kagome he was married to were two different people.

Laughing at the thought, he tightened his grip on his wife and joined her in sleep.

XXXXXXXXX

"You got it all wrong, Carl. Kikyou is in Europe, these pictures are useless. You must have old film in your camera."

"No Jeff, I swear, I just took these pics this morning—the film is brand-fucking new. I know because I ran out while I was shooting and I had to replace the cartage."

Jeff, editor of photography for _Ok Star Magazine_, shook his head doubtfully. "That can't be right." Leaning back in is rolly chair, he scooped up some of the European tabloids. "Kikyou—the woman you have in those pictures—is on her Honeymoon with her husband. Outside of the United States. In Europe." He held up a tabloid cover of the couple on the beach. "This is our story now—we're lifting pictures from these magazines. Stop bringing me old shit. Go get a look at Angelina Jolie or something."

"The pics are fresh, I swear. I've been staking out the Higurashi house for months, and she's been there since her supposed wedding."

Jeff flashed the man another pointed, doubtful gaze. "Why do you think I think you are a sack of shit trying to scam me?"

Carl rolled his eyes. "Because I am. But in this, I know what I'm talking about. If you give me an hour, I'll take you there and show you. No strings, no shit. This may be something."

Jeff really wanted to tell Carl to go to hell, but it was a slow news day and they were grasping at straws to get headlines to sell papers. "Fine. I can't just leave right now, but if you bring more proof of whatever you think you have right now, I can promise you my full attention."

XXXXXXXXXX

_Splashing out into the water, Kagome couldn't stop from laughing as Inuyasha chased after her. They were both clad in their swim wear—Inuyasha in a pair of baggy red trunks, Kagome barely covered in the less-than-modest yellow with red polka-dot bikini Sango had packed for her. Some how her sister's assistant had picked out the perfect size. It really was a wonder._

_Trying to leap over a wave in her giddy daze, Kagome did a belly flop and instead landed in the arms of her husband who had materialized in front of her._

How is he so fast?

_Not taking time to worry about the problems of Inu's superhuman speed, Kagome slumped against him, becoming boneless in his embrace. All the sun and the motion of the waves made her sleepy, but Kagome was having too much fun to get out of the water._

_She also failed to perceive the danger when Inuyasha scooped her up and began to move them out into the deeper water._

"_Where are we going?" Kagome laughed._

_Without answering, Inuyasha ducked them both into the chest-high water._

_Kagome squirmed in his arms and Inuyasha released her. They both emerged moments later. Their movements had lead them out into deeper water and they had to tread to keep their heads above the surface._

"_The water is deep enough, we could have some fun and no one would know," Inuyasha said suggestively. Under the water, he reached out and took Kagome's hands, sliding his fingers up her arms, tickling her skin._

"_Inu!" Kagome gasped with a giggle. She tried to pull away, but he jerked her to him to kiss her briefly. "We can't do anything here—there are kids all around."_

"_What about when we get back to the condo?"_

_Kagome blushed, unable to meet his eyes. "I don't know…."_

_Inuyasha hung his head. Somehow he had embarrassed her, and as a result she was withdrawing again._

Oh no you don't, wench.

"_Why wait, anyway? Here's good enough," Inuyasha said with a growl. He quickly moved to grab Kagome's knees, jerking them up to his hips, and smashing his lips on hers once again as he pushed them back into the water amid Kagome's smiles._

XXXXXXXXX

"I can't believe its over!" Kagome groaned as she tried to shove all of her clothes back into her suitcase. Without Sango there to do her insanely meticulous packing, she was having a tricky time fitting it all in. Part of the problem was that Sango had over packed to begin with, but the assistant seemed to be able to handle squeezing an impossible amount of clothes in a tiny space.

"I know," Inuyasha agreed. He was watching television even though neither of them could understand anything that was being said.

"Inu," Kagome began carefully. She had been putting off the topic for sometime, but now she felt as though they were running out of time to talk. "When," swallowing hard, as she tried to go on, "when we get back home, are things going to go back to the way they were before?"

Inuyasha had flicked off the television to give his wife his full attention. "…The way they were before?"

Kagome stopped her mad stuffing and came around the bed's side to sit next to Inuyasha. "With you ignoring me or being…" she searched for a less childish way to express herself, but alas, emotional vocabulary was her short coming, "…mean?"

Inuyasha wasn't sure if he should laugh of be pissed. _How could she ask something like that after the time we've spent together? Doesn't she know me?_

Thankfully, for once, he was able to keep his ranting, angry, verbal diarrhea at bay. The past three weeks of his fake Honeymoon for his fake marriage had given him plenty of practice of applying patience to his words.

_Think before you speak. You were a jerk to her, and though she hasn't come clean yet, she has talked about other stuff. And we've only had three weeks together away from everything. I have to admit, it isn't the most realistic situation for determining someone's character._

Sucking in a deep breath, he tried to answer her question. "I know I won't be ignoring you," Inuyasha leaned in, kissing her neck below her ear. "And I'll try to be too _mean_," he kissed under Kagome's jaw, "But I do have a temper. I would never strike you or anything, but I can't say I can always keep my mouth under control," he pulled back enough to look her in the eye. "You just have to _always_ remember I say a lot of shit I don't mean."

"You promise?" Kagome asked quietly. Here eyes dropped for a moment.

Inuyasha grasped her chin, bringing her gaze up to meet his own. "I already promised I would treat you better, and that still stands."

Kagome smiled and hugged him. "Thank you."

Little did either of them know that the end of their dream had already begun.


	17. Miserymoon

**Thanks to my reviewers. I heart you guys: **cutee2054, kagz243, LiLaZnCrAzYgUrL216, jullun, firevixen73, AutumntheReviewer

Sassa: Yes, I am afraid they are about to get it. Enjoy the show.

srg1: I know them living together will be a bit of a problem for Kagome, but it really is more fun that way. The more drama, the better.

grace317: Its not that I have anything against alternative pairings, its just that pairings other than Kagome/Inuyasha make me sad. I've even come up with plot lines that would be perfect for someone other than the usual Kag/Inu, and I just don't think I'd be able to get through it. Lol, I know, I'm a freak. Thanks for the suggestion though.

xXAngel of DarknessXx: Somewhere between 3-6 chapters to go, and that includes the epilogue. I can't give you an exact number on that because I may be shortening part of my outline and expanding others.

Magawa: Yeah, I know my editing isn't the best, but after all the proofreading I have to do for school, I admit I let errors slid in my fanfics. I usually do at least two read throughs before I post, so its not like I write it and update as soon as I can, but obviously that's not enough. Proofreading, as important as it is, takes a lot out of me and I feel like I can't re-read my story so many time for errors that its perfect _and_ keep the plot going. So after the story is done, I'm going to do a massive edit because there are other problems that need to be corrected.

Ru-Doragon: Where would be the fun in if she had read the letters?

angelqt1231: I thought about going that way, but you have to realized that what you know as the reader is not always what all the characters know. Hope you enjoy the plot I went with.

**Chapter 17**

Miroku sat in his living room, a little unsure of what to do with himself.

He had let his best friend's secret slip to a woman who was now connected to Inuyasha's new wife. It was like he had told the truth to a pipeline going straight into the heart of doom.

_This is not good. This is really really not good._

What complicated the matter was the fact that Inuyasha was so damned convinced that Kikyou was supposed to be his mate. The poor hanyou was only going to get himself hurt on this one. And he Miroku—his supposed best friend—was the one to handed him over to the wolves.

All because he couldn't keep is cursed hands to himself.

_I have to do _something.

Sighing in defeat, Miroku reached for his cell phone. It had been several weeks since he had talked to Sango, and he needed to set her straight. He was tired of not sleeping due to worry, and just because the girl had not gone running to the papers yet did not mean she wouldn't when it was convenient for her boss. From what he had heard from Inuyasha, Kikyou didn't know yet, but maybe Sango was waiting until they got back to tell her.

XXXXXXXXXXXX

Once they had been processed by passport control and allowed back into the United States Kagome found they were being driven to Inuyasha's house. It seemed so strange to be married to someone and having never seen where he lived before. It was so…medieval, as though she had been married off to a stranger and now had to go live in the man's castle.

However, as they pulled up to Inuyasha's home, Kagome was surprised that Inuyasha didn't live in a mansion, but (in comparison to Kikyou's place) a modest Victorian that looked out of place in the Californian sun.

"Up to your standards?" Inuyasha mocked her when he noticed the look she was giving his house.

"Its nice," Kagome said, turning to give him a pleased smile. "I just expected—"

"Some place that's size could count as my own country?" The actor gave her a shrug. "Not my style." He picked up one of Kagome's bags and headed for the front door, but he stopped half way there. "You aren't disappointed?" Inu looked at her with a concerned look. "I mean, it will be your home for some time."

Kagome reassured him with her smile. "I said its fine. I like it." She walked up and took her bag from him, continuing into the house.

Inuyasha couldn't help the happy smile from skimming over his lips as he watched his wife walk through his front door.

XXXXXXX

"You don't show up for two weeks and this is all you got for me, Carl?"

The editor of photography at _Ok Star Magazine_ gave a pointed look of disapproval to the man across the desk from him.

"More pictures of Kikyou and this no body. Unless you got a story to back it up, you are going to be looking for a new job for wasting my time and slacking off."

Carl had been looking worried up until that moment. It was true he had missed some important movie openings, but he thought the story he had working was worth it. For a moment he had been afraid Jeff was going to kick him out of the office without a chance to get his say in, but it was now his time to shine.

"Alright, to begin with, I don't think Kikyou is really married to Inuyasha—I think its all been staged."

Jeff looked at him as if he had hand shooting out of the center of his forehead, but before his editor could protest, Carl rushed on.

"I think all those European pictures are fakes—or old ones. See, what you said the other day about having old film in my camera got me thinking. I did a little research, and in the Kikyou-Inuyasha movie _Diamond Eye_, there was a cut beach scene that missed the final reel. Here, just look." Carl shoved some of the pictures across the desk at his boss.

Jeff compared the photos from the movie set to those from the tabloids, shaking his head. "They could be the ones from the Euro tabloids, but the clothes and beach umbrella don't match."

It was Carl's turn to give Jeff the pointed look. "And no one these days can doctor film?"

Jeff cracked a smile. "Ok, so the pictures are doctored and Inuyasha and Kikyou weren't on their Honeymoon. What does that have to do with that nobody man you've been obsessing about and why?"

"Because, Kikyou couldn't have married to Inuyasha. She is already married." Carl pulled out his trump card.

With shaking hands, Jeff picked up the papers before him: a wedding certificate, a copy of a driver's license, and a final photo of Mr. Nobody greatly resembling the man's picture on the I.D., which consequently had the same name as the man on the certificate of marriage for Kikyou Higurashi.

Jeff smirked. His kids were going to have a very marry Christmas this year.

XXXXXXXXX

Inuyasha was giving Kagome a tour of his house. He found himself oddly pleased with the fact that she seemed happy with it.

"And this is the den," he said opening a door to cozy room with a floppy couch in front of a decently proportioned television set.

Kagome stepped over to a bookshelf covered with DVDs and began examining Inu's collection. "Wow, you even have _Brazil_," she observed with a laugh.

"Keh, who doesn't have _Brazil_?"

"But oddly you don't have any of your own movies," Kagome turned back to him. Her eyebrow arched in inquiry.

For a moment, Inuyasha looked confused. "I can't stand to watch myself on film. You know that."

"Right," Kagome muttered, whirling back to the movies and praying that Inu had missed yet another of her blunders.

Not sensing her discomfort, he stalked towards his wife. "You want to go see _the_ bedroom?" Inu asked, stepping up behind her as she continued to stare blankly at the flashy titles and spines of his movie collection.

"You mean _my_ bedroom?" Kagome tried to correct him—they weren't ready to be sleeping in the same room.

In response, Inu wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling her into him. "Or it could be _our_ bedroom," he breathed in her ear, nuzzling her hair.

Kagome blushed, unsure about such close contact when they were discussing _that_ subject. She managed to squirm out of his embrace, trying to keep her hot face away from her husband's eyes. Whenever she blushed, he always looked at her as if he knew something was not quite right.

In her anxiety, Kagome made a desperate stab at changing the subject. Her eyes fell on the remote for the TV and she snatched it up. "Why don't we just watch some television?"

The exact instant the screen flickered to life, Kagome knew her mistake.

"…_Though we are unable to reach Mrs. Higurashi at this time, it is clear that her recent wedding with actor Inuyasha Takahashi was some type of publicity stunt. We have reliable sources that show with this current and non-voided marriage certificate Mrs. Higurashi is married to—"_

Kagome finally regained from her shock after seeing pictures of Kikyou and her husband and _their_ wedding certificate plastered over the television screen enough to click the power button.

Without turning around, she knew Inu was standing behind her in a state of astonishment very similar to the one she was struggling with.

Carefully, without making any sudden movements, Kagome twisted her head to look at him. Inu was standing where she had left him, his eyes locked on the TV. with a gaze that held a combination of emotions that Kagome could only interpret as fear, hurt, and anger.

"Inu?" Her voice cracked, but she bravely stepped toward the man she had come to call her husband. "Inuyasha?" She reached for him, but he saw her motion and jerked away from her touch. Kagome could not help taking a step away from him in turn.

"Is it true?" The actor's voice came out as a growl, and he still had not moved his eyes. Inuyasha refused to look at her. If he looked at her, there was the very good possibility that he would explode. Inuyasha was struggling to keep his temper at bay at least until he heard her out, but that seemed to be easier said than done. He wanted to scream, he wanted to force the truth out of her, but still he kept himself in check.

"That I have a husband other than you?" The question sounded silly even to her ears.

Inu nodded, but still he could not place his gaze on Kagome. Instead, his eyes focused on some far away piece of carpet lent.

Kagome didn't know what say: all she could come up with was a string of unanswerable questions. What was the truth and what was the lie? What was the right thing to say? What was she permitted to say? Who's secrets should she protect and who's should she keep. Her voice caught in her throat. "Its—its—" She covered her face with her hands so he could not see her start to cry.

"Well what is it!" Inuyasha yelled. Suddenly he was moving to her, ripping her hands down so they could no longer hide her face, his hand was raised over her head as if to strike downward. Silent tears traveled to the cliffs off Kagome's chin.

_Is he going to hit me?_

For a moment, the hand descended with a fierce jerk, but Inu stopped. He instead pushed Kagome away, still glaring at her. She tumbled to the ground at his feet from his force and slid a ways away from her husband. Looking up at the man before her, Kagome could see the cold anger that had taken over him. He no longer looked afraid or sad. Inu was just angry.

_Why didn't he hit me?_

Inuyasha's words from their Honeymoon came back to her: _"I would never strike you or anything, but I can't say I can always keep my mouth under control."_

He was speaking to her in a cold voice that was strangely removed from their situation, as if Inu had taken himself out of the present, and Kagome had to make herself focus on his words: "So you are just like every woman in Hollywood—you can't keep your damn legs shut and you'll marry anyone for a dime." Inu shook his head in disgust, still glowering at her. Moving with his strangely quick speed, he had her hauled up against him, his fingers digging into her upper arms where he held her in a death grip. "If it isn't true—if you aren't married to someone else, _please_ tell me now." For a moment the angry mask shifted to show his fear and sadness more tangible in that instant than ever.

Kagome reached for his face, brushing his skin with her fingertips. There was no truth for her to tell him that would not be painful; even though she wasn't married to another man, then she had still lied to him, she still was not who she said she was. She was not really Kikyou, the woman he truly desired. Kagome was sure the real truth would be more painful for him than any lie that could have been concocted.

So she met his accusation with silence, and Inu took it as a sign of its truth.

"I hope you're happy after you've fucked with my life—I can't say I see why you needed to do all that lying." Inu's words were spat in her face, dripping with a distain for her and what he believed she had done. The way he spoke to her left her feeling cold and defenseless. Inwardly she went limp like a rag doll. If Inuyasha was disgusted with her, it did not even begin to cover Kagome's own feelings for herself.

Kagome knew there was no point in trying to defend herself: she would not have had anything to say. "I hope at the very least you enjoyed the ride, I'm sure it was all a big joke for you," Inu finally finished, and pulled her up to kiss her, punishing her and burning Kagome with his ire. Inu stole her breath and bruised her lips, hurting her with his embrace.

Kagome's eyes were latched shut, but had they been opened, she would have seen the black-hair actor become a white-hair hanyou, complete with dog-ears. In his rage, Inuyasha could not hold the spells in place that protected his secret.

Though she did not see the short-lived transformation of her husband, she did feel when his claws dug into her harms as they elongated. Kagome could not stop the cry of pain that slipped from her lips as the talons slashed into her soft skin.

The sound of her pain brought Inuyasha back to reality. He knew he had changed forms, but he was too angry to care. He was still enraged, but now that he had hurt Kagome, he knew he should not be near her. With a quick glance to make sure she was all right, Inuyasha dashed away.

He needed to be alone for both their safety.

XXXXXXXXX

"Hello, who is this?" Sango barked into her phone. She was running late to the office, and had almost not answered her phone. 

"Um, its Miroku."

Dead air filled his ears as Sango tried to place the name to a face.

"Miroku? Who the hell is—Ooooh, Miroku. Hey!" The happiness in her immediate recognition drained when she remembered her last encounter with the man. "What do you want?"

Miroku smirked, he found her mood swings endearing. "I need to talk to you."

"What about?" Sango had all the guile of innocence that she could have deterred anyone else, but not Miroku.

"You know," insisted Miroku. "Can you meet me for coffee in an hour?"

Sango was about to protest, but then she was just pulling up to her office.

And what she saw clustered in a great sea of humanity and cameras around the front door made Sango slam on her breaks. Thankfully she had gotten into the parking lot before the sea of reporters blocking her way to work froze her blood.

"How about now?"

Miroku jerked his phone away from his ear to look at it and make sure it was still a phone. "O…K, now's good for me too."

"Great," Sango smiled as she backed up, trying to get away from the press before she was spotted. "You know where Taijiya's Den is?"

"Of course."

"Good, meet me there as soon as you can, I'll probably be waiting for you." She paused for a moment, wondering what the meaning of all the press was. She would have to check the radio once she got off the phone. "Your right, we do need to talk."

XXXXXXXX

"_You just have to _always_ remember I say a lot of shit I don't mean."_

Kagome wished that his words from their Honeymoon applied to their current situation, but it did not seem like they could.

Feeling cold, she picked herself off from the floor where she had huddled.

She needed to get to back to her sister.

Kagome peered outside, and realized that getting to Kikyou were not going to be as easy as she had previously hoped. There was a sea of paparazzi waiting for a glimpse of her or Inu.

She couldn't call a taxi or her sister from the house—it would just stir things up too much. Somehow, she needed to get to her apartment and from there she could figure out what to do.

XXXXXXXX

True to her word, Sango was waiting for Miroku at Taijiya's Den as she had promised. In spite of all the matters of shit they were in, Miroku smiled when he saw her, and his grin only broadened when she smiled back.

He had listened to the radio on the way over, and by the look of worry on her face, Miroku was pretty sure Sango had done the same.

Sliding into a chair across from her, Miroku opened his mouth to greet her, but Sango cut him off.

"We're in deep shit."

Laughing, Miroku suddenly felt some of the tension leave him. "I know." He liked being around a direct woman, not one of the ones who pussy-footed around him, subtly begging for dates with Inuyasha.

"I don't see how this is funny," Sango spat, but could not stop from smirking a little at Miroku's amusement.

"I guess you could say I'm relieved," Miroku confessed. "I thought I was going to wake up one day, and it would be Inuyasha's face plastered all over the news for leading a double life. And instead its Kikyou."

"I'm so happy for you," Sango glared at him with her eyes, but a small grin remained on her lips. Abruptly, as a thought crossed her mind, Sango's expression went somber. "I wouldn't have told anyone, if that's what you're worried about."

Miroku looked a little surprised, but nodded. "I was. You know that's why I called you—I've been worried sick for the past few weeks."

"I figured as much. I've worked for Kikyou long enough to know what secrets to keep and which ones to tell."

"So you didn't tell Kikyou…?"

"Of course I told Kikyou. I mean it is her sister—" Sango slapped a hand over her mouth. How could she be so stupid! One moment she was bragging about her ability to keep a secret and the next she was spilling out one of her boss' biggest.

Sango's hope that Miroku hadn't noticed died when she saw him staring at her with the most curious expression. She was doomed to those violet eyes.

"Sister, you say?" It was Miroku's turn to act innocent.

Covering her face, Sango tried to keep her cool, thinking of ways to keep everything together. She didn't have many options.

Suddenly, she had a glimmer of hope. This man personally knew Inuyasha. Miroku could help with Kagome, as she knew they were going to need help with Kagome when Inuyasha found out what was going on. Without thinking of all the apparent dangers, Sango began to tell all.

"Alright, the tabloids are saying that Kikyou is two-timing Inuyasha and that she's already married. That's not entirely true," Sango stopped to look around, making sure no one was watching them. There weren't that many people around, or anyone for that matter who was close enough to hear anything she said over the blaring music. "I have to have your strictest confidence. If what I'm about to tell you gets out, then I go to the nearest newspaper, talk show, and radio personality and tell them everything I know about your friend. Do we have an understanding?"

Miroku nodded.

"Good." Sango began to explain in a hushed whisper. She had never been much of a gossip, but there was just something about Miroku that made her want to tell him everything. Opening up to a man was not one of her strong points, but for him she would say anything to get him to keep his violet eyes on her. And hopefully he could help them when Inuyasha exploded like she knew he would. "While it is true Kikyou is married to someone other than Inuyasha, _she_ never even pretended to be married to him…."

XXXXXXXXX

Getting to her old home was managed much more easily than Kagome had thought was possible. With her Mediterranean tan and the few extra pounds she had packed on from the Gelato she had been inhaling, she did not quiet resemble her sister as she had previously.

After a kind old woman servant had bandaged her bleeding arms, the maid at Inu's had directed Kagome to a wooded area behind the house (which she had reached by sneaking down yet another sheet latter from a second story window), and from there she had managed to stumble her way to the street and get a cab to her apartment. Kagome had been tempted to go in the cab all the way to Kikyou's, but it seemed to risky, especially if her house was under siege like Inu's.

However, once Kagome reached her home, she was met by a surprise she was not expecting.

Inuyasha, the hanyou.

He was sitting at her tiny kitchen table when she opened the door, and at the sight of him, Kagome squeaked, dropping her keys.

"What are you doing here?" She asked, still in surprise. Kagome hurried in and closed the door behind her. A fear of being seen and discovered was bearing heavily down on her.

For his part, Inuyasha was just as surprised to see her. In his fit of rage at discovering that his supposed wife was already married, he had been unable to keep his spells up. Driven by his demon need to be near her—the woman he had hoped would be his mate—but unable to bear her presence in the present circumstances, Inuyasha had fled to the only place he knew where he could soak up her scent and be alone. Her apartment. Inuyasha knew he should have thought out his plan better, but he had never imagined that she would go there of all places. If anything, he was sure she would go running to her real husband.

He realized that Kagome was watching him, waiting for an answer to her question, "What are you doing here?"

Inuyasha tried to deal with his anger patiently as he had been doing for the past three weeks, but he felt no need to hold anything back at the moment. The bandages on her arms where he had clawed her caused guilt to well in him, and that have gave him a little control. Nonetheless, both his demon and human sides were furious with his mate candidate, and the fact that she really belonged to another man only fueled his anger at being lied to with vicious jealousy.

He could not stop from retorting cruelly, "Maybe I was wondering why this girl who was playing me would lie to me. Oh wait, honesty was a pretty dumb thing to expect from you."

"Wh-what?"

"Come on Kagome, you had to tell me you were getting married to cover up the fact that you were already married?"

It took Kagome's mind a moment to process what exactly he was talking about. She had told this Inuyasha that she was Kikyou's stunt double and that she was getting married to Inu so Kikyou wouldn't have to. It still didn't explain what Inuyasha was referring to.

"What do you mean? Who says I was already married? Kikyou—"

"Don't play all innocent and dumb with me. How stupid do you think I am? I've known for a really long time that _you_ _are_ _**Kikyou**_. What you're doing with me, I could never say, but I know there aren't two girls running around that look like you. Just come clean bitch."

Kagome was at a loss for words, yet one question circulated in her mind. "How do you know that I am Kikyou? I told you—"

"I just do, alright!" Inuyasha realized that he a told her too much. "I know you are Kikyou, and that is all you need to worry about."

If he explained about the red string he tied on her dress, he would have to tell her about his own identity. And that was something he would not do.

_Maybe once, I would have told her._

_But not now._

Inuyasha once again felt the blind rage over taking him and he knew he needed to leave. Bandages be damned, she had hurt him too. It was an accident that he had changed to a hanyou and in the process clawed her, but the pain he was feeling took away any pity he might have had for her injury. Even if it failed to completely wash away the guilt in his gut.

"Look, I'm going to go. Don't call me, if you see me on the street, don't say anything. Forget me."

Before she could react, Inuyasha was out of the door and gone.

XXXXXXXXXX

"Hello?" Sango's voice rang in its fake-happy tone. "This is Kikyou Higurashi's office. If you are looking to book Mrs. Higurashi, please remain on the line. If you are a reporter trying to get an interview concerning Mrs. Higurashi's recent marriage," the assistant's voice suddenly took on a violent tone, "Tell me where the fuck you got this number and then hang up and run before I can trace the call, hunt you down, and—"

"Sango? Its me, Kagome."

Sango halted mid rant, suddenly unsure of what to say. Her mouth gapped open and closed like a fish out of water.

"Kagome? Are you all right? We haven't heard from you in so long."

"I'm fine, can you come and get me?" The other woman's voice hissed through the phone line in a whisper.

"Of course, where are you at?"

"My old apartment," Kagome swallowed down her tears and proceeded to give Sango the address.

"I'll be there in a second. We'll talk more when I get there," Sango promised. She was already dumping her cell phone and car keys into her purse. Setting the phone back into its cradle, Sango was hurrying to get out of the office when its door swung open and Kikyou stepped inside.

"Where are you going to fast?" The actress asked questioningly. She pulled off her ball cap and dark sunglasses and tossed them aside before she also tugged of the dirty, frumpy sweatshirt she had been using to hide her more stylish clothes.

Continuing to move toward the door, Sango explained, "I got a call from Kagome. She's over at her apartment at the university and wants someone to pick her up."

Kikyou's face relaxed a little from the clear stress she was under. "Thank god. We haven't heard from her in so long. I mean, I knew she was alive, but with this breaking in the press…." Kikyou paused to look Sango in the eye. "She is alright, isn't she?"

If that bastard Inuyasha had so much as bent a hair on Kagome's head the wrong way, she was out for his hanyou blood. No one hurt her baby sister.

"I didn't press for details, but she didn't sound happy. 'Depressed' would probably be a better adjective."

"Great," Kikyou fumed. "Fucking Inuyasha. You go get her, and bring her to my house. I'll be there, and then maybe we can find out what exactly is going on and what exactly she knows."

Sango nodded, and made a mad dash for the door.

XXXXXXXXXXXX


	18. Waiting

**Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha. Inuyasha is the property of Rumiko Takashi and Viz Productions.**

**Thanks to my beautiful reviewers: **xXAngel of DarknessXx (Winner of my fastest reviewer ever prize. Seriously, I updated updated checked my email, and her review was already waiting. Damn.), LiLaZnCrAzYgUrL216 (second place in fastest reviewer prize), Rose of Sharon, Jennifer, firevixen73, ioke, inu 4ever, anastassia, Sakura onto Hitomi,102692, ra, Jessie Angel, anon, darkdork, kagome1312, cutee2054, and MyInuYashaObsession

Ru-Doragon: I haven't really addressed this issue yet, but there is kind of a code of silence for people's identities among the characters. It wasn't Inuyasha's fault the pictures were posted, so it would be bitchy for her tell his big secret. But now that he's hurt Kagome, we might see what Kikyou wants to do with what she knows. This is another something I hadn't thought about too much, so thanks for pointing it out.

AutumntheReviewer: As always, thanks for the thoughts—they keep me thinking! I don't want to spoil the story, so patience with the questions.

Sassa: In the interest of not giving away since the story is rounding, I don't want to say yea or nay to any of your questions. Still, keep them coming! I've said it before and I'll say it again, but having someone pick my story apart (gently) helps me think about it new ways.

srg1: Glad you liked it so much—I was a little proud of how everything fell into place.

Tif: I'll see what I can do.

Magawa: Yeah, I know, the grammar, the grammar, the grammar. I have had offers for a beta, but to be honest, I don't want to put another human being through my writing schedule. Its bad enough that I have to put up with how I write—one week two, maybe three chapters if I'm really motivated, then nothing for months. Ba! Lol. So I'll work on it when its done and fix all the problems then. Thank you for making your criticism more constructive than critical—it really helps a lot.

**A/N: Thanks for everyone who offered suggestions and guesses about what will happen next. I hope I don't disappoint. I really wish I could have gotten this thing done last weekend, but I'VE GRADUATED! And even if I could have gotten it all written, since the library is closed, I wouldn't have any Internet access to speak of. I know that seems forever long, but remember when I only updated once a week or worse, like every few months. Don't let the suspense kill you my lovelies. I like working on this story as much as you like reading it, and I really want to get to the end too.**

Chapter 18 

Kikyou sat in her living room, all the blinds to all the windows pulled and curtains closed. She was smoking what had to be her fifth cigarette since she had walked through the door fifteen minutes ago. Sango had yet to arrive with Kagome, and though that worried her, Kikyou knew there was not reason for alarm, as of yet. Her security team had done miracles clearing out the crowd of zombie reporters, and at present the paparazzi were lined up along the street, fearing to come any closer.

The actress was just lighting up her sixth cigarette when there was the sound of a racing car in her driveway, punctuated by screeching breaks. _Sango._

A few minutes later, the assistant came into the living room. Sango gave Kikyou a tight-lipped smile and came to stand before her boss: "I have Kagome up stairs in her room. I don't think anyone saw us—I was extremely careful—but you never know."

Straight to business, smart, and reasonably cautious in time of crisis; I knew there was a reason why I hired her, Kikyou mused as she followed Sango toward the room that was Kagome's.

While walking through the house, Sango told Kikyou about her sister: "She seems pretty shaken and her arms are bleeding." The assistant gave the actress a pointed look as she related this part; they both understood: Kami knows what he did to her. "She won't talk to me except to tell me she's fine. Kikyou," Sango paused outside the door to Kagome's bedroom. "Kagome is clearly not fine. I don't know exactly what is the matter, but at the very least she is severely upset."

Kikyou nodded, now prepared to face her younger sibling—at least as ready as she could be. Sango gave the doorknob a twist and led her boss inside.

The room was dark, the shades drawn. Kikyou wasn't sure if Sango had done that as a precaution or if it had been Kagome in an attempt to block out the day.

"Kagome, sweetie? Are you alright?" Kikyou asked her sister carefully. She took a few cautious steps, suddenly finding herself truly unsure as to what her sister needed her to say or do.

Kagome was sprawled out on the bed, staring up at the ceiling. There was a blank look to her eyes and it was clear she had been crying, but no tears fell at present.

"I'm fine, Kikyou. Leave me alone." There was not anger or force behind her voice and that made Kikyou feel uneasy. She moved toward the bed, and perched on its lip next to the other woman. Kagome rolled her head to look Kikyou in the eye for a moment then moved back to stare upward.

"I don't think you are all right, dear," Kikyou cooed. "You aren't acting like yourself."

The snap in Kagome's mood was instantaneous. With a jolt, she sat straight up and her eye gave a little twitch before she began speaking in a quick anxious voice: "What is fine? What is right? He just wanted me to tell him the truth, and I couldn't even do that. The truth would have just hurt him worse, and I believe he didn't think anything could hurt him more than I already had. And Inuyasha—the hanyou—he really thinks I'm you. He really really believes that I'm you Kikyou and I'm not, but he doesn't know that and he won't listen to me and now he won't even speak to me. Am I even really me anymore?"

Kikyou sank further onto the side of the bed and dragged her baby sister up into her arms. Kagome was stiff and unresponsive for a moment, but she finally wrapped her arms around her sister and slouched into the older woman.

"Shh shh baby, its alright." Kikyou soothed her sister, rubbing comforting circles in the younger girl's back.

"No, its not." Kagome sniffled from her sister's shoulder. "They both hate me. You should have seen how…how th-they lo-looked at meee."

"'They?' Kagome?" Kikyou was a little confused. She had expected Inuyasha to be a wrathful fuck wit when he found out he had been played, but who was this they Kagome spoke of?

"Inu," sniffle "And Inuyasha."

Kikyou looked over Kagome's shoulder to make eye contact with Sango. Her assistant shrugged, trying to think fast.

"Inu and Inuyasha, dear?"

"Inu the actor I'm married to and Inuyasha the hanyou." Kagome explained with sobbing patience. "I didn't want to hurt anyone and…and now they both hate me." She had stopped crying and lay homelessly against her sister.

Kikyou scowled. So not only did she not read my messages, but that idiot hanyou did not do the noble thing and tell Kagome the truth. Unconsciously her fingers drifted to the scratches on Kagome's arms. Such emotion. Kikyou hated to admit it, but the emotion from Inuyasha was a sign that he hanyou felt something for her sister. His reaction to the confusion that had enveloped them all meant he had to feel something towards her sister, to care for her in some way. But, that still did not give him an excuse to be emotionally and physically abusive towards the poor girl.

Kikyou had a better grasp on everything. She looked again to Sango, and the actress knew the other woman's guilty expression matched her own. They had been the ones to put Kagome in this position, and Kikyou knew she was more to blame than any others. She should have protected her sister better than this. She had all but thrown the girl to the wolves.

Poor, poor Kagome. So willing to help out those you love and look where it gets you.

Kikyou had no idea what had been said or done to her sister and it made her furious. Her eyes flared red for a moment with a vibrancy that would have rivaled Inuyasha's when he became a full demon.

Regardless of his feelings for Kagome, that bastard had used her sister and then at the first hint of trouble abandoned her. She had cuts on her arms meaning he had physically assaulted her, and god only knew what he had said to her to turn her into the emotional wreck Kikyou was currently holding in her arms.

No body did that to Kagome and got away unscathed—especially when Kagome had done nothing more than give Kikyou what she wanted.

She might have put her little sister in her present pickle, but Kikyo refused to leave Kagome simply because her role had been played.

That lying son of a bitch hanyou would get his. Get his and then a bag of chips.

Kikyou squeezed Kagome tighter as another bout of wails passed through her small frame.

**XXXXXXX**

Bad grades, bad reviews—Kagome had her fair share of things that she put her heart into only for them to be crushed and belittled before her eyes. Yet, there was something different about the way Inuyasha and Inu had told her off that she found extremely unsettling. What was wrong with her? Why did this of all things have to hurt so much?

Kagome was lying in her bedroom at Kikyou's house alone. Her sister and Sango had left her some time ago. They said they were going to get her some food and take care of a few odds and ends. In all honesty, the break from their comfort made her feel a little better. She didn't like to be pitied, and Sango and Kikyou were over doing it so much that even Kagome had started to feel sorry for herself.

Rolling out of bed, Kagome slumped over to the window. The shades had been drawn, but bits of light still managed to get in. Dressed in the sweats and bathrobe Kikyou had given her, Kagome felt as though she were having a sick day.

She pushed the shades open and pressed her forehead to the glass.

How did everything go so wrong?

What? Did you honestly think you were going to get through this unscathed? You're supposed to be a smart girl—you should have seen this coming.

Kagome shook her head, trying to clear out the thoughts. If she was honest with herself, she knew that she had thought somehow this would all end happily. Kikyou's contract would be protected, Inuyasha's name would be saved, and she would somehow end up with the guy.

Very little of that seemed to be likely now.

Jerking away from the window when she felt the tears begin, Kagome went back to her bed and flopped down. She knew she needed to get away from her sister, and the house, and everything that remaindered her of Inu…and Inuyasha. It was strange how they almost seemed like the same person sometimes. They liked the same foods, had the same interests. They even seemed to look the same.

Kagome stopped herself when her tired mind tried to juxtapose the two faces into one. She was making connections that made no sense.

Unless….

Unless, you're in love with one of them. You want both to be happy, but really you love one more than the other. Being the damned tenderfoot you are, you can't hurt anyone, so you want them to be the same guy. You are too much of a weakling to know which guy you love, so you try to make the same person so no one's feelings gets hurt.

Not that it matters.

They both hate you now so much they'd rather spit in your direction than look at you.

Flinching at the sudden barrage of thoughts and the ache they wrenched from her gut, Kagome tried and failed to think of something else. She very much needed for her mind not to go there, but it seemed unwilling to listen to her.

Kagome had thought that she had been in love with Kouga, but that feeling had been fleeting and nowhere as deep as the present attachment she felt for…

Yes miss heartsick fool, who exactly do you have the warm fuzzies for exactly; Your husband or the hanyou? You can't even say. Pussy, pussy, tender foot. You can't say because you wouldn't be able to choose if your life depended on it.

Unbidden, the images of both men floated in her mind, one light the other dark. In a flash, the merged into one man, but Kagome flung the picture away. Just because you want to love them both you can't. They are two different men and each deserve someone who can love them for who they are—not by one girl who would be looking for the pieces of them that are lacking.

Its not like you are worthy of either of their love. Not that Inu or Inuyasha would take you. Stop dreaming you pathe—

Kagome growled, rolling over to jerk a pillow over her head to block out the noise in her mind.

She had to get away from this place.

But she couldn't. Not until the press had found some new celebrity to pester and the coast was clear. For the time, she was trapped in her sister's castle, waiting.

Just waiting.

XXXXXXXXXXXX

Kikyou sat crossed legged on her living room floor, smoking her 1 millionth cigarette for the day. The entire living room was filled with fumes, and Mr. Kikyou had long ago disarmed the smoke alarms and dawned a simple mask.

"Something needs to be done." Kikyou finally broke the silence that had been looming over her, her assistant, and her husband.

"I know." Mr. Kikyou answered, but offered no more. His voice was muffled behind the facial mask covering his mouth.

Sango was quiet for a moment. She looked thoughtful and finally spoke, "I think I have an idea. I assume that all we need to do is damage control for the press and then get Inuyasha to at the very least apologize to Kagome. Correct?"

Kikyou and her husband simultaneously nodded, giving the assistant their undivided attention.

"The press is the easy part—we just have to give them something more interesting to take pictures of and write stories about."

Another pair of matching nods.

"I can take care of that …" Sango pulled out her organizer and began tapping on the screen, "… this afternoon."

Only Kikyou nodded this time. Mr. Kikyou was too busy looking skeptical.

Sango continued: "Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie have been making eyes at each other on the set of Mr. and Mrs. Smith. He's been divorced from Jennifer Aniston for months, but the studios have been waiting to leak the story for an opportune moment." She looked up at Kikyou with a smirk. "It can just be our opportune moment instead. I think if we start the rumors about Brad and Angie hooking up and say that his marriage with Jennifer is on the rocks, people will eat it up. We could even do baby rumors…." She trailed off as she concentrated on the information she was gathering.

Kikyou looked over her shoulder at her husband, "See, I didn't hire her for nothing."

"Alright, I've got all that sent off, it should it the presses in less than an hour. The studio isn't going to be happy about it, but they should be expecting this from us." Kikyou nodded in agreement. "They know you don't take this kind of thing lying down." Sango shut her organizer and smiled at her boss. "Now for Inuyasha."

Kikyou's placid face twisted into what could only be described as a maniacal grin. "I have a plan for that. First, we're going to need some rope…"

XXXXXXX

Sango was sitting at the Taijiya's Den, waiting on Miroku. She was in a little trouble with her boss for having spilled the beans about Kagome to him, but Kikyou had agreed with her that he would be a useful asset in their current plan. After Kikyou had told her what she wanted to do, Sango had caved, and told the actress about Miroku. Following a small rant and warning about Sango keeping her mouth shut, Kikyou had thanked her assistant for giving them the one thing their plan needed to be enacted: bait.

Impatiently she drummed her nails on the tabletop. At the moment time was of the essence and they needed to get the show on the road. Rumors were already swirling about Brad and Angelina—successfully taking a large chuck of the eyes off of Kikyou and Inuyasha's botched wedding—but Kagome was still locked up in her sister's house.

Sango's heart went out to the younger woman. She couldn't take a step out the front door for fear of exposing everything that was going on. And by staying in the house, there was nothing to take her mind off her botched wedding and all the heartache that was causing her. Kagome needed a change of scene along with a healthy dose of closure, and she needed it fast. If she had anything to do with it, Sango would have her closure but nightfall.

Her thoughts were interrupted by Miroku sitting down in front of her. She had not even noticed him approaching.

Not waiting for trivial greetings, Sango quickly made her point. "We need your help."

"Alright," Miroku nodded. He moved his right arm up from where it had been tucked beneath the table to drop a small bouquet of flowers in front of Sango. "Those are for you. How can I be of assistance, my dear Sango?"

Sango grinned as she picked up the flowers to take in their sweet scent. "Thank you." Not one to let endearments get in the way of her work, she charged ahead in their conversation: "We need help in temporarily kidnapping your friend."

Miroku looked thoughtful for a moment before speaking. "Is abduction really necessary?"

"If Inuyasha is as really as pig-headed as I believe him to be from our limited interaction, yes it is very necessary."

Thinking a little more, Miroku finally nodded. "You're right. With his thick skull kidnapping is the only thing that can be done. God knows he needs too get his shit in order." Miroku did not realize that he was wondering into dangerous territory until he uttered his next words: "First he goes on and on about Kikyou's sister being his mate and one tabloid story later, he's out of sight. I mean really—"

Miroku finally noticed Sango's suddenly seriously worried expression.

"Oh shit. I said too much."

Sango only nodded her head. "At least I'm not the only one."

There was a pause and Miroku really did not appear to know what to say, so Sango picked up the slack, though refusing to drop the subject he so wanted to avoid.

"He sees her as his mate?"

"By smell and the fact that she can actually get along with him on a non-sexual level."

"This is worse than I thought," Sango said. She stood quickly, gathering up her purse and jacket.

"I know," Miroku shrugged as he stood too.

"I mean this could get really bad." Sango opened the door to the café for the both of them, hurrying towards her car.

"I know."

"What do you think we should do? And where are you parked?" She swiveled around, looking for his vehicle.

"I took the bus." Sango nodded and motioned for him to get into the passenger side of her car. "I think the two of them need to sort things out for themselves. Kagome really seemed to like him and Inuyasha is well, like I said," Miroku finished as he buckled his seat belt.

"For their sakes, I hope you're right." Sango murmured as she burned rubber to get out of the parking lot. "It may not be that simple."

Miroku nodded. He was suddenly extremely grateful for seatbelts, as he wondered how much faster Sango's car would have to go before it became airborne. Five? Ten miles per hour?

XXXXXXXXXXXXXX

**A/N: So this chapter has taken me like a month and a half to write. My muse left me, my inspiration has come in poorly written spirts at best, and I have moved in with a friend who only has wireless Internet and my computer is so old it doesn't do wireless, so I really haven't had the hope of up dating to motivate me even if I got anything written.**

**But now I'm home for the holiday, and I can update! I know this chapter is kind of blah, but I am so excited about the next one I want to get it out before I have to go back to my Internet-less hell. **

**I don't usually beg, but please, please review ESPECIALLY if you see some gapping plot hole that I appear to be missing. Usually when I have time between updates, I can reflect on what I've written, but giving so little time between posts, I'm afraid I won't foreshadow properly, or leave out something altogether. No worries, though. I'm pretty sure I have all my ducks in a row, so we'll see how it goes. Who knows? If I get enough reviews, I'll have enough of an adrenaline rush that I'll be able to post two more chapters instead of one. Its happened before.**


	19. But How?

**Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha. Inuyasha is the property of Rumiko Takahashi and Viz Productions among others.**

**Thanks to my reviewers! I heart you guys!: **Totally Kawaii **(winner of this round's fastest reviewer ever), **Jessie Angel, LiLaZnCrAzYgUrL216, Totally Kawaii (again, lol), kagome1312, StarSakura46, Rose of Sharon, anastassia, xXKimiko SakakiXx, Jabba1, Sassa, Inuluvher151, AutumntheReviewer, Inuyasha Babybre, Silver Angeliss, Miss BinKy, srg1, and Magawa

Unistar: I know Kagome's characterization in this isn't the strongest, and I don't think it will change. But in my other fic, "Better Things than You" Kagome packs more of a punch or she will. I usually try to make the heroine strong, but this time I spent so much time trying to unravel the damn plot so it made sense, that that goal pretty much went out the window.

Sakura onto Hitomi: I've checked this story, and I did reference Angelina Jolie in Chapter 16 with the newspaper men, but other than that, I don't think I've been using that couple. Maybe I over looked something, but I'll find it when I do my final edit. Thanks for being more observant and me, lol. I'll keep that in mind for Kikyou's husband, since he has been such a lame duck character.

Vagabond: Closet, eh? Interesting idea….

Xaenthe: Did you used to write "My Little Pony"? I checked your profile and you had taken all your stories off, so I couldn't tell. As far as the italicized thing goes, I am a total computer fuckwit and write all my stuff in Word. I've checked the Word file I posted and it looks fine, so I'm really at a loss as to what I should do. As I have promised others, I am doing a massive edit when I'm done writing, so I'll try to fix it then. Hopefully. Thanks for bringing it to my attention though.

Tif: You're right, he should suffer. I really tried to make Kagome the "bad guy" in this fic—she does do a lot of lying, though it is for the good of her sister—but obviously I have failed horribly. I even feel sorry for Kagome, and I'll have to work on Inuyasha, since in my outline he was supposed to be the emotional victim, but he really isn't helping his case at all.

**Sorry I couldn't comment on you all lovelies, but I've been working on this chapter, and I thought you would rather have it than me yakking about what you had already said. As always if I didn't respond to something important you've pointed out, yell at me (nicely—I'm sensitive!).**

**Chapter 19 **

Not for the first time in several months, Kikyou found herself seated across from the disgruntle board of directors of Dreamstone Pictures.

However, this time, instead of being upset at the media or the state of affairs for their company, they were more than a little angry with Kikyou herself. They had evidently been saving up the scandal concerning the love triangle between Brad, Angelina, and Jennifer Aniston for some time and were therefore more than a little pissed that the beans had been spilled from that particular pot.

The actress was ready for fury and was sitting next to her lawyer who in turn had neatly stacked before him a mini-mountain of copies of her Dreamstone contract.

"We were expecting an apology, Mrs. Higruashi. Not a legal meeting." One of the faceless members of the board said tartly as he took in the lawyer and his contracts. "The leak you and your assistant caused concerning the affairs of the Pitts and Miss Jolie has caused us much trouble."

Kikyou snorted, spirals of smoke steaming out her nose. "You want me to apologize for defending myself and mine, simply because in that defense I messed up one of the many many possible ways you might fuck with other people's lives?" Kikyou demanded in a bored voice. She toyed with her pack of cigarettes, going from each board member to stare everyone one of them in the eye with her skull-burrowing glare. "I know what I'm worth, gentlemen, and though I also know I'm not getting of this unscathed, if you do not let this pass over, neither will you."

"Is that a threat because we feel—"

"If you couldn't tell that was a threat, then let me make one that will bite you in the ass." She blew a smoke circle. "Then perhaps you'll be able to see what I mean."

"Can we approach this in a more mature manner?" Another board member piped up. "Kikyou, all we are asking of you is that you help us in explaining that it was your sister and not yourself that married Mr. Takahashi. We have checked the opinion poles, and while your approval rating has remained the same, Inuyasha's has taken a dip. People like married celebrities. If we let the public know about Kagome—"

The man was cut off by the sound of Kikyou's laughter.

"Mrs. Higurashi?"

Kikyou abruptly stopped her giggle fit. "No." Her eyes had taken on a stone look and her face held not a trace of her momentary humor. "Not on my life."

It was the members of Dreamstone Pictures' board of directors' turn to look pleased. "We think you will."

"Unfortunately gentlemen," Kikyou's lawyer finally spoke up, "Or unfortunately for you I should say, Kagome Higurashi is protected under her sister's contract. You can not mention her name, 'Kagome Higurashi,' without facing extreme legal censure."

"Then well just go to the media."

"No, you won't. We have already paid visits to the five major media distributors, and they understand the legal ramifications if they pick up your story. They will not touch a story dealing with a blood relation—such as a sister—of one Kikyou Higurashi for fear of supreme fines. To report on Kagome Higurashi simply is not profitable when all the focus is elsewhere." The little man shuffled through his papers to pull out another stack. "You can not do anything without dropping Mrs. Higurashi from your company, and if you'll look at these financial reports," the lawyer quickly passed them out, "you'll see that wouldn't be in your best interests."

Most of the board members knew that without looking at the paper they had taken up.

"So what do you want us to do?"

"Just let it go. Let all of this run its course in the media and don't mention Kagome." Kikyou took a pensive drag off of the cigarette. "Can you even handle that?"

"What options have you left us with?"

For the first time in some time, Kikyou's lips curved upward in a truly pleased expression.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXX

The room was smoky, swirls of the toxic mist lifting from the bed to the ceiling. Each puff was further pushed upward by another. The atmosphere was almost relaxing until…

The hanyou jerked his body up off the bed hacking and coughing as he gagged in his attempt to fill his lungs with clean air.

How in the fuck could she smoke those damn things?

Inuyasha felt shitty. He felt beyond shitty—more like some creature that was so desperate they were forced to eat shit. And like—nay savor—the taste of shit.

And that was what he deserved.

He missed Kagome, but she betrayed him.

And while he hated her for her betrayal, he also hated himself for allowing her to hurt him. He had followed her around like a little lost puppy, pursued her when he knew that she wasn't the most faithful person. Sure, she had been honest about it all—well, not all of the story—but she had told him more than she had to. For that little bit, he was grateful.

But it all still hurt, and he was smoking cigarettes in a poor attempt to remember her since going to her apartment was not an option. Breaking into her home had only led to a run in with the very girl he wanted to avoid, and that made the pain so much worse.

The things he had said to her, the cuts on her arms he knew he inflicted in his cloud of rage and ache. He had not meant those words or actions, but it didn't matter. In spite of what she had done to him, his actions toward her were unforgivable. Though he could not ask for her absolution, he questioned if he would want to see her in order to be forgiven himself.

Yet if he got anymore desperate, he might need such a reason to stand in the same room as her.

But what then? She was married—really married. Not a fake marriage to save his acting ass, but married to a man she loved and had chosen for herself.

Maybe that was what made it hurt so much. She had been married for several years to another man. All those movies they had made together, all those dinners and parties that went to, and all those moments they had had together more recently when he called her Kagome and he had thought were special—none of it was as he had seen it. She had already married herself to another man and promised to stay with him for always. There had never even been a chance for them in hell.

Inuyasha cursed as the cigarette burned to the end, scorching his fingers. He had been staring blankly at it, trying to piece a thought together that kept bugging him. Once he had flung the chard piece of paper away, he returned to the nagging notion.

Kagome didn't smell or taste like smoke, yet every time he had ever been around her in her Kikyou persona, she had reeked of cigarettes and ash. Even during faked kisses with his human senses, he had been able to tell she smoked. No amount of mouthwash and mints could cover it up, especially for a dog demon.

It didn't make any sense.

There was a sudden knock on the door and Inuyasha sensed Miroku on his doorstep. Putting his troubles aside, he made to let his friend in, not expecting the trouble that waited for him once he opened the door.

XXXXXXXXXXXXX

She was having the dream again, the one where he said her name.

Kagome.

Kagome.

Kagome.

Even in her dream there was something not right—

Waking with a start, like fluid pieces of a puzzle fitting together at last Kagome new what it was that bothered her so: the tone, the inflection, the pitch, and pronunciation of the way Inu said her name were the same as Inuyasha's.

The distant memories of both men speaking to her merged in her mind. Could it be? But how?

Again, she was doing it. Trying to make the two men into a single entity.

Why can't you just poxy let it go Kagome?

But what if…

No. Leave it alone. You are stressed and it's making you think crazy things. Let it go before Sango has to put you in a straightjacket. You know she would.

Resigning herself to the fact that she was not in the best mental condition to be making connections, Kagome rolled over and tried to go back to sleep.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

It was very dark wherever he was.

Or maybe he was just blindfolded—he really couldn't tell his head hurt so badly.

One minute he was opening the door to who he knew was Miroku, and the next his friend was slapping one of those damned paper spells on his forehead. That was where the massive, soul-crushing headache must have come from. At that point, he hadn't been able to see or hear much and he began to panic. He wanted to fight, but when he tried to struggle Inuyasha found he could hardly move.

Then there had been other hands on him—more hands than just Miroku. They flipped him onto his stomach and wrenched his arms behind his back, fastening his wrists together with what he could only assume was youkai-strength rope. He had been hauled up roughly and, as his legs were not working at the present, carried to a waiting car. Another ofuda had been slapped on his forehead, and he had passed out…

…only to wake up in this cold, dark room.

There was a faint rusting and Inuyasha abruptly found his senses returned to him. He tried to reach up to remove his blindfold, only to find his hands were still bound behind his back.

Struggling, he found they were tied expertly and perhaps even laced with some spiritual energy that restrained his youkai. Every time he pushed against the binds he felt the tiniest shock of purification. Why did he ever become friends with a man who dabbled in Buddhism?

Now that the ofuda was removed, he could hear clearly: the breathing of at least one other person, the creak of floor boards above his head. Those sounds coupled with the musty smell of mold and things of disuse, Inuyasha surmised he was in a basement. The place did reek like every other basement he had ever been in.

"You've really put her through a lot, you know?" A man's voice broke though the thick silence.

Inuyasha was taken aback. Not really knowing who or what the speaker was talking about, he could only question: "Who?"

"Your wife," the other man offered simply. If he could see, Inuyasha swore he would have seen a smile on his face to match the one in his voice.

"I don't have a wife," Inuyasha spat, feeling the old anger well up inside of him. "Where am I anyway? Where is that weasel Miroku? I know that little bastard had something to do with this! When I get my claws in him—"

"Hold your horses. We'll let you go soon." Inuyasha felt fingers on his head and the blindfold was removed.

Blinking quickly, his eyes adjusted to the basement surroundings. It was a basement. The walls were lined with dusty box, jars, and old coffee cans; the floor a stark cement. In one corner stood a deep freeze and in the other…a frightening looking blade jutted out from a cutting platform to make a circle saw.

Oh god. I'm going to die and be cut up in a million little pieces. Miroku sold me out for my organs.

A soft chuckling wiped away the bloody vision playing before his eyes. Whipping his head around, Inuyasha found himself staring into the eyes of his kidnapper.

The abductor was not what he was expecting. Before him stood a short, balding mad who, despite his distinct lack of hair, could be no older than his mid thirties. On seeing the hanyou's confused expression the man's face crinkled into a warm smile.

"She's pretty heartbroken over you—even if she won't admit it—Kagome, I mean."

Inuyasha scowled. "So? She's the one who was lying to me." In his anger, confusion, and general disorientation he failed to notice the man's use of the name 'Kagome'."

"And you didn't keep secrets of your own?" The man reached forward and tweaked one of Inuyasha's ears. Violently the hanyou jerked his head away.

"The ears are not for touching, bubba."

His abductor raised his hands in mock defense, chuckling his warm laugh again. "Fair enough, but I think you should realize that maybe like you, she had her reasons for doing the things she did."

Inuyasha tilted his head to one side in thought, looking almost as if he were considering what he was being told. "Who the fuck are you?" Or not.

"I'm Kikyou's husband."

Inuyasha couldn't stop the growl that escaped him. "So you're the one."

The man only smiled down at him in amusement. "You could say that."

"Where is she?"

"Do you think you have any right to see her? After all the things you said to her—did to her?"

Inuyasha scowled for a moment. Behind his back he fidgeted with the rope binding his hands. Absentmindedly, he slid a sharp claw up against the tight twine and found that, as he expected, his efforts only resulted in a small shock to his finger nail. Shrugging his shoulders, he thought about his abductor's question. Did he have a right to see Kagome ever again?

Why are you even asking this? You should even want to see that bitch again.

That's why. She may be a bitch, but she is my bitch.

Finally Inuyasha managed to answer the question: "I think it should be up to her whether or not she wants to see me. I would like to make amends for my actions, and if Kagome has any honor, she should wish to atone for hers."

Again with the deep, warm chuckle from the kidnapper. "How eloquent. Did you steal that from one of your movies?"

Inuyasha sweat dropped. "Fuck you, ass hole. Who are you anyway?"

The man shook his head. "Have you never been kidnapped before? Don't you think if I told you that I would have to kill you?"

Inuyasha rolled his eyes. He had been in Hollywood long enough to smell out criminals, and the man before him only smelled of kindness. True, there could be others, but if worse came to worse, he could find a way to protect himself. "Just answer the question."

"I'm Kikyou's husband."

He had to have known the shock his words would bring to the half demon. Inuyasha felt his eyes bleed red and he had the most painful urge to leap out of the chair and slash his kidnapper to ribbons. Bath in his blood and make him suffer in beautiful agony until he begged for mercy and then—only then—would he give him pleasing death in retribution for robbing him of the woman that should have been his.

Thankfully for Mr. Kikyou the knots held and Inuyasha only felt as though he had been mildly electrocuted with a cattle prod though his wrists.

"Ah, ah, Inuyasha. You really shouldn't get so upset," he said as the red the hanyou's eye dimmed. "You might be able to get Kagome yet. If you can forgive and gain her forgiveness."

Inuyasha snarled at him, snapping his fangs. "What's that supposed to mean? Who the hell do you think you are talking like that—Gandalf?"

"Patience, patience my dear hanyou." He turned as if to go, but then turned back, a slightly confused look on his face. "What would you do, if you found your self in Kagome's presence again?"

Anger toward his abductor was Inuyasha's first reaction, but he took an uncharacteristic moment's pause to truly ponder the question. "Assuming you were not in my way? I would make things right—as least as right as I could."

Mr. Kikyou seemed content with this answer and chuckled approvingly. "You'll have less trouble from me than you think. Rest a while, son," he called over his shoulder as he made his way up the stairs.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"I think he's ready—or at least as ready as he'll be on your schedule." He paused for a moment, thinking. "Why not give them both more time? The wounds are so fresh—"

She shrugged. "Think of it like ripping off a band-aid—the faster it's done the better."

"Haven't you meddled in Kagome's life enough?"

"Clearly not. Get ready to bring him up. Kagome will be down shortly."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Kagome had been pacing her room all afternoon, and she felt more annoyed with her inaction than usual. She needed to get out; she was sick and tired of beginning treated like a prisoner…or a mental patient.

For a moment, she thought of changing her clothes and simply leaving, but she remembered all the trouble that had caused her in the past.

Still in her pajamas, she headed downstairs toward the living to make demands of her sister. At the moment, even the thought of going to that damn health-food grocery store was tantalizing.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Inuyasha growled as he was man handled up from the basement where he had been stashed away. Without even getting a glance at the men how had been holding him, he was shoved through a door at the top of the stairs and much to his surprise, Inuyasha found himself not in a place of torture and murder but an ordinary kitchen leading into an ordinary living room.

Needless to say, the hanyou was quite confused. Stumbling as his eyes tried to adjust to the sudden glaring light, Inuyasha heading toward the den where he could distinctly make out the fumes of cigarette smoke.

There, half reclined on the couch lay Kikyou, propped up on one elbow and an over-stuffed pillow as she thumbed though a magazine and took drag after drag of her cigarette. Inuyasha wanted to run away from the woman, but some how his feet refused to obey, and he found himself moving closer and closer. When he was standing before her, she looked up at him with a lazy slowness, stifling a yawn that told of her boredom.

"Inuyasha, I'm so glad you finally finished talking with my husband so you could join me." Kikyou's voice purred, and it held those tones of nonchalance that had always bothered him. She had never spoken to him like that when she had been Kagome. Not that _that_ mattered at the moment. Effortlessly, she moved to sit on the couch, spreading both arms across the sofa's back and crossing her legs before her as she cocked her head back to look him in the eye.

Inuyasha found it hard to speak. All he found himself capable of doing was standing there staring down at the small women sprawled out on her sofa before him. He had so many questions—not least among them what the fuck he was doing in her house—but he could not get the knots out of his tongue. In turn, Kikyou only stared up at him with innocent eyes, pissing off the actor more and more.

At last, when he could take it no more, Inuyasha finally managed at weak, "Kikyou," only to have the name echoed by a voice that was making its way down the stairs that lead from the living room to the upper floors of the house.

"Kikyou," the voice repeated as it came closer and closer. With each breath the woman coming down the stairs uttered, Inuyasha was coming to a frightening realization with the familiarity of her voice. He did not even want to breathe through his nose for fear of what he would smell.

The steps descending the staircase came closer and closer to him, and Inuyasha found himself being turned against his will in the direction of the stairs. Who ever was coming toward him and Kikyou was blocked by a wall partition that kept the steps separated from the living room.

"Kikyou?" The speaker was practically within reach now. "I was wondering if—"

The girl's words came to a screeching halt as she entered the living room. Her eyes had initially been down, but when she stepped into the same room as Inuyasha, she had raised her gaze to find herself eye to eye with the hanyou.

"In—Inuyasha?" Kagome choked out as she stared up at him wide-eyed.

Inuyasha himself did not know what to say. He was shocked at the sight before him. The girl was Kikyou, but then there was no way he could have ever confused her with the famous actress. Somehow, with out being told, he knew she was Kagome.

_But how?_

She was dressed in faded clothes, sweat pants and a t-shirt that had seen better days but looked to be the epitome of comfort. A well-worn house robe hung loosely over her thin frame and the girl's hair was pulled back in a sloppy ponytail. Her eyes—with dark circles underneath them and a gleam of exhaustion—mirrored his own expression in a way that made Inuyasha shift uncomfortably on his feet.

_This is __Kagome__. But how…?_

He spun on his heels to look at the other woman, neat and tidy and a bit glamorous where she sat on the couch. _Kikyou. _ Her clothes were fashionable and immaculate and not a hair on her head was out of place.

_What the fuck is going on?_

XXXXXXXXXXX 

**A/N: I know, super bad place to stop, but I'm using my personal need to know what happens next to write more. I can't wait!**


	20. Revelations are Good, Sorta

Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha. Inuyasha is the property of Rumiko Takahashi and Viz Productions, among others. I also don't own any of Steven Colbert's copy written vocabulary.

**Thanks to all my reviewers!: **babyblueyes (2x, for two reviews), guest, bakamai28, ra, pokiepal, Bri-chan, unistar, DemonGirl11, lunarcat12, Jabba1, cutee2054 (also for 2 reviews. Yay!), sveta89, xXKimiko SakakiXx, Magawa, firevixen73, kagome1312, ladygeri, Rose of Sharon, Sassa, AutumntheReviewer, bbbeleana, srg1, TrueBelle, LiLaZnCrAzYgUrL216, Miss BinKy, nat9380, Jessie Angel

Xaenthe: I hearted My Little Pony—it was totally a guilty pleasure fic for me! Trust me, I have read far worse stories than that, and it was really awesome. But I get not wanting to keep up old stories when you've moved on and changed. I still have my writing notebooks from when I was in middle school, and I cringe every time I flip through one, lol.

Chapter 20 

Silence.

Silence and something more than silence.

The room had turned into a fucking void. Inuyasha couldn't smell, couldn't hear, and he sure as hell couldn't breath. This nightmarish abyss only contained the two women before him, so similar, but so different.

In the deafening silence, it was Kikyou who finally broke the quiet as the other woman was obviously in as much shock as he was. Neither had the ability to speak coherently at the moment. "Inuyasha," her voice purred with a formal ring. "You know my sister Kagome."

"I—I…" He couldn't get the words out. Not that he had any idea of what he would say anyway.

Inuyasha couldn't believe it. There were two of them—two fucking women. Not just one, but two. But that meant—was it possible that the press had got it all wrong? They never said anything about a _Kagome Higurashi_, just that _Kikyou Higurashi_ was married.

Was Kagome married?

Going on, Kikyou tried to read Inuyasha's mind: "You're wondering why dear Kagome hasn't been formally introduced to you, considering the two of you have been married?" In a daze, Inuyasha nodded, so the actress continued: "For the record, if you haven't already figured it out yet, Kagome is not married to two men." A small smile crossed her face, "You've already met _my _husband in the basement. And I can vouch for her that Kagome was only seeing you—though perhaps more so than she thought." Kikyou quirked a smirk.

"Kikyou what are you doing?" The girl hissed in the softest whisper, face blushing, and her voice telling signs of desperation, depression, and distress. Kagome wanted to scream. Did her sister have to bring up the fact she had been dating Inuyasha and Inu at the same time? It was only going to make matters worse.

"I'm making introductions." Kikyou paused to take something off the coffee table that set in front of her couch. "Before we go any farther, I think is only fair to Kagome—seeing as you know her secret—that she should know yours Inuyasha. Or should I say Inu?"

Looking back, even if he had known it was another one of Miroku's damned sacred scrolls, Inuyasha wasn't sure he would have been able to stop Kikyou in time. She had reflexes like a cat.

Once again, he found himself with an ofuda stuck to his forehead. Only this time, instead of paralyzing him or deadening his senses, he felt the familiar indicators that could only mean he was now in his human form. Kagome's gasp only further confirmed his metamorphosis had taken place.

The hanyou turned actor felt painfully torn. Everything was falling apart, and no matter how he grasped for anything, all hope of normalcy slipped through is fingers. Kagome was going to hate him for deceiving her, not to mention she would be disgusted to know that the perfect actor she was married to was also the lowly hanyou she went slumming with.

The most miniscule amount of guilt bloomed in Inuyasha's chest. Here he had been blaming Kagome for hiding part of her identity, and he had never stopped to question the fact that he was doing the same.

Kagome stood, staring at the man before her, Kikyou momentarily forgotten.

"I-Inu?" Her tongue stumbled over the name. How could it be? For a moment, she was sure she was going to swoon.

Inu was just staring at her, clearly as unsure as she was. Her mind could not break through its own muddied confusion to grasp what the hell was going on, and it appeared neither could Inu—Inuyasha—whoever he was.

"Dog got your tongue?" Kikyou asked, reaching up to rip away the ofuda so Inu returned to his hanyou form. "Why don't you tell her who you are?"

Inuyasha was running on autopilot—that was the best way to describe how he felt. At Kikyou's prodding, his mouth opened, seemingly of his own accord, and he spoke, mechanically turning to face Kagome. "I'm a hanyou," it seemed a good place to start, "I use my demonic as a disguise to hide from the press and fans. That's what I really am—a half demon—and I use my human half to act with because it's more acceptable." Yes, she really was going to hate him now. Who took a relationship with a hanyou seriously? Who would want an actor who hid a big secret like that?

Kagome nodded, her brows knitted in understanding. Despite the remorse she felt for being in love with two men at the same time, she was honestly tickled pink at the fact they had turned out to be the same guy. How many girls got that lucky?

Her happy moment was over quickly when Kagome remembered the entire situation at hand. _I must be such a let down after Kikyou—even a married Kikyou._ She dared to sneak a peak at her clothes, so sloppy compared to her sister's glamour. _Disappointment probably doesn't even begin to cover what he sees when he sees me. And I've deceived him. I should face it, I'm screwed._

Not noticing Kagome was only half focusing on his little speech, Inuyasha scratched the back of his head, trying to think of what else needed to be said. "That's probably why I got so angry at you, with that Kouga guy, and when I thought you were married to someone else—that's why I went ballistic. It was all my demon instincts afraid something of mine would be taken from me."

Between her own depressing thoughts and Inuyasha's words Kagome was going to be sick. That was the only thing she could do at a moment like this: vomit her guts up. Inuyasha was so possessive of her when he thought she was Kikyou, she felt a little left out when she realized he would never have reacted to her as herself in kind. She was just dumpy little Kagome. _Maybe if he had met me for me, things would be different?_ Wavering on her feet, Kagome gave a drunken look around the room, trying desperately to decide where would be the best place to run to. She took only one staggering step and she was falling.

Thankfully, there was a hanyou in the room, and he easily caught Kagome. They stood frozen for some time, Inuyasha's hands clutching her forearms to steady Kagome when he pulled her flush against his chest. Neither Kagome nor Inuyasha knew what to say or do. Both felt an overabundance of discomfort being so close to the person they sure didn't want them so near. However, since deep down they personally did not want to untangle themselves, they found they were in a bit of dilemma.

"Isn't this a nice little moment?" Kikyou queried, as she stood a little too close for comfort to the couple, her hand on her hip, an infuriating smile on her face.

Two pairs of eyes turned to glare at her. "Could you stay out of this?" Inuyasha snarled.

Kikyou took a step back.

"Don't talk to my sister like that!" Kagome huffed, pulling herself out of the hanyou's hold. There was a tiny spark of anger from the hanyou's tone toward Kikyou.

Kikyou grinned like the Cheshire Cat and took a sliding step toward the door leading into the kitchen.

Inuyasha snapped back a Kagome, being miffed both by her reprimand and that she had removed herself from his hold: "She's the one who's fucking standing there, keeping a running commentary on us. Do you have any idea how fucking annoying that is?"

Kagome rolled her eyes, crossing her arms over her chest. "She's still my sister and I would prefer if you weren't such an ass to her. This is her home after all—don't you have any manners?"

Kikyou slipped through the swinging door, leaving the oblivious couple to their own devices.

"Your sister," Inuyasha growled. "I guess she's the one who put you up to the whole marriage thing?" He flashed her an ugly sneer, but Kagome was becoming rapidly too angry to care. It felt good to channel her energy into something other than depression.

"How smart of you to figure it out. And thanks for your honesty—its always nice to know when your husband can change species at will. When were you planning on telling me?" Kagome missed Inuyasha's grimace at the words "change species" even though she was glowering right at him.

"Because _you're_ Little Miss Truthiness!" Inuyasha spat back, more out of his personal hurt than any actual anger, "You fucking married me pretending you were your sister! To top it off, you thought you were seeing two different men. You just happen to be lucky I'm the same guy as Inu."

"I told you about Inu! You never hinted you were someone else…" Kagome took a moment to pause, coming to a realization, "You knew I knew there were two of you. You knew—or you thought—Kikyou had an alter ego. Why didn't…?"

Inuyasha scoffed. "Why didn't I say anything?" In his fury he couldn't stop the words coming out of his mouth; they leaped straight from his slighted heart to his vocal cords before his brain could properly process them. "Because I wanted to go along with it. Because of your smell."

Kagome blushed. _Do I stink?_ "You _wanted to go along with _it because I _smell_?"

Inuyasha suddenly looked defeated, deflated, knowing he had said too much, even if Kagome didn't seemed to have grasped the full meaning yet. "No, _your_ smell. You smell like you could be my mate." Kagome didn't say anything, but looked confused, so he stumbled on. He could at least set things straight if he was going to dig his own grave. "Demons pick their mates by scent—it's like a test to speed up the courtship process. That way you don't spend time on someone who in the end won't be compatible." Inuyasha gave a chocking cough as he said his next words: "I'm pretty sure you're mine."

Kagome looked shocked. "Your mate?" This was too much for her.

It seemed to be too much for Inuyasha too. "Yeah, well, I'm sorry for keeping things from you, and," he paused to sniff her arms. Using his youkai speed, he pulled up the sleeve of her robe, revealing the bandages around her upper arm. "I'm sorry for getting mad at you, for doing this. I was just so angry—not that that's an excuse. I—"

"Its alright. I think we both have made our mistakes. I'm," she swallowed noticeably, "I'm sorry too."

Inuyasha nodded. He surprisingly felt a little ashamed of himself. As they had spoke, he had moved close enough to really see Kagome. She looked tired and lonely and extremely stressed. He had done that to her.

Giving her a tight smile, Inuyasha gently pulled her back to him, dragging her into a one-armed hug. "I think I should go." Suddenly, he didn't _want_ to go, but he felt it would be for the best. Pressing a careful kiss to her temple, Inuyasha released her.

He was gone before Kagome had a chance to stop him.

XXXXXXXXXXX

"So you just left her there?"

Miroku sat at Inuyasha's table, head bandaged and a piece of meat strapped over his black eye from the hanyou's revenge.

Inuyasha nodded, concentrating on digging a water chestnut from the Chinese take-out box he was currently devouring.

"No, 'I'll call you' or "Catch you later, babe'?"

Inuyasha looked up at Miroku, flashing the man a withering glare that commanded his friend end this line of questioning. Popping the water chestnut in his mouth, he only shook his head.

"So let me get this straight, both of you apologized, you told her you thought she could be mate material, and then you _left_?"

"If I had stayed, would I be sitting here, eating lousy take-out with you?" The hanyou quipped back, his tone steady, but his eyes focused on his food.

"I guess not." A shrug. "Are you ever going to see her again?"

Inuyasha had to count to ten to keep from exploding. "What are you some kind of hopeless romantic? After everything that happened, I highly doubt she ever wants to look at me again."

"But do you want to see her again?" Miroku pressed.

Inuyasha shrugged and was silent. He stared into the take-out box as though it would give him the answer he sought. "Yeah, I would, but right now I don't think that's possible—if it will ever be possible."

"We could always kidnap her."

Inuyasha shot his friend another glare. "Haven't you been beaten enough already?"

Miroku cowered behind the line of little white take-out boxes and said nothing more.

XXXXXXXXXXXXX

Kagome dusted off the counter in her apartment. She was grateful to be home, but the tiny space felt lonelier than it usually did. Not to mention the fact that she had spent all afternoon cleaning all the dirt and grime that had accumulated while she had been away.

But she was home, and away from all the drama her sister had brought on her. She could get out of her funk and move on with her life.

Sighing, she took her seat at her now clean kitchen table, and opened one of the boxes Kikyou and Sango had packed for her. Setting on top of all the other contents was a bag of cereal. Kagome snorted when she realized that it was from that health food market, but on closer examination, she saw that it was the sugary stuff she had fought Inuyasha over. Thinking back, she never had gotten around to eating it.

Carefully, afraid that it would break, Kagome lifted the sack out of the box. She looked at it for several moments, moving it in a way that suggested if she were to turn it the right way it would give her the answer to the meaning of life. Then, without warning, Kagome clutched the plastic and cereal to her chest in a death grip. Though she fought them, the tears came along with the happy memories, and Kagome cried sadly and alone in her empty apartment.

_Did you honestly think he would leap in your arms when he realized you weren't your sister? Maybe just a little._

_I'm going to miss you Inuyasha._

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX 

A/N: Not completely thrilled with the way this chapter turned out, but its better now that I've picked it over a few times.

**As for the next one, I can't really say when I'll have it up by. I'm going back to my friend's without Internet place, so I will by unable to upload. I'll check out the computers at the library and see if something can't be managed there, but it might be two or three weeks before I'm back home. But happiness awaits!**


	21. Serving Dilemma

Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha. Inuyasha is the property of Rumiko Takahashi and Viz Productions, among others.

**Thanks to my lovely reviewers: **LiLaZnCrAzYgUrL216, Jessie Angel, Bri-chan, Sassa, Inuyasha Babybre, AutumntheReviewer, Silver Dog of the Snow, ra, kagome1312, Sakura onto Hitomi, lunarcat12, xXKimiko SakakiXx, DemonGirl11, shexshe, Magawa, unistar, srg1

Ru-Doragon: I'm glad you reviewed because I thought you were dead. Not really, but I assumed you were on vacation or something, lol. As far as a sequel, I don't think I have it in me, but I have been thinking about doing a series of one shots that would kind of act like a sequel. Like four or five chapter-long stories involving this universe of Inuyasha characters. I may not have it in me for a sequel, but I'm not completely ready to end this fic.

**Thanks for everyone's enthusiasm and patience! While I haven't been able to update, I have been able to check my email on my friend's computer and the reviews really kept the story going. Thanks to all my readers.**

**Chapter 21**

Birds were chirping, the sun was shining, and Kagome was already having a terrible day.

In the month since Inuyasha had left her she had done nothing but work her ass off. She had reshaped her project, met with her committee, read countless books, worked on a million drafts, met with her committee again, transcribed interview after interview, and reacquainted herself with sugar-packed coffee and snack cakes. She had spent so much time in the library she developed paranoia that someone was watching her. It became so bad that the same feeling often came to her when she went out for groceries.

Her days were long, she got little sleep, and as a result of spending all her time in the library or eating she had packed on a few pounds. Such was the life of a scholar.

But today was different.

When she had gone on her mini-break from research to save her relationship with Kouga, which turned into a charade to save her sister's career, Kagome had been fairly close to completing the project. With over a month of working diligently around the clock, she had made ten drafts of her final paper, though "book" would probably be a better description, each copy closer to perfection than the last.

She was doing so well, but this morning when she woke Kagome realized her research was complete, and being finished was bad. Very, very bad. Completing her research and writing meant she had nothing else to distract her from her favorite hanyou.

And, to ice the cake, today she had gotten an envelope in the mail that served her divorce papers.

The papers themselves left her in a bit of a quandary that only worsened her already fragile mood: on the divorce papers her name was printed nice and neatly for all to see. Therein lay the problem: it was _her name_. Not Kikyou's, but hers. In the marriage ceremony, she had been "Kikyou." Now, on the divorce papers, she was "Kagome."

This led her to ask where the papers had even come from. Were they from the studio? Kikyou? Inuyasha? God only knew who had sent them; things were so out of whack.

Finding out the "who" would answer her other pounding question: why?

Pacing her tiny kitchen, Kagome debated what to do next. She had already tried to call her sister, but Kikyou was on some remote island in the Pacific filming a movie. Sango couldn't be found, which was normal now as she spent every spare moment with Miroku. Having no idea how to contact the Dreamstone execs—or the desire to do so—left Kagome with one person left to ask.

And she wasn't sure that was such a good idea.

Granted, it was a given she was dying to see Inuyasha, but she didn't know if he would be quite as thrilled to see her. Would she be able to handle it if….

She stopped her thoughts before they went down their familiar negative path. She was moving on, and had worked too hard to let herself go again.

But this was the perfect excuse to see him in person! Every time one of his movies came on television or she passed a magazine rack with Inuyasha's handsome face plastered on multiple covers, Kagome couldn't help the welling up of sadness she felt in her gut. Speculations concerning her hanyou's love life by the paparazzi only added to her troubles. Thankfully she—Kagome—had never been brought up in the press, but all the questions concerning her marriage to Inuyasha kept her wounds gapping.

It would be a legitimate reason to see him…

Kagome's mood brightened a bit at she allowed herself to really consider contacting her sort of husband.

She no longer had his phone numbers as he had cancelled them after the whole mess. _Probably so he would never have to talk me, even if I called him for a practical reason like this._ Kagome thought, ignoring the more reasonable answer that he wanted to avoid all the paparazzi calling for interviews.

There really was no way for her to get a hold of him—with the exception of dropping by his home.

Kagome chewed on her bottom lip.

Soo tempting… 

While she had been busy in the past month, there had been times when she stood still long enough to miss Inuyasha. The lonely moments before she fell asleep, a few minutes while she waited for her Ramen noodles to cook, during her slow bike rides to the library.

She ached to see him and sometimes came up with silly scenarios when they were reunited and he whisked her off her feet and held her so close and so many other things that they had not had for during their "marriage."

One of the more prevalent daydreams played in her mind, and Kagome found her resolve not to see Inuyasha again weaken.

_She would be in the library, studying some dusty volume no one had checked out in ages, and he would appear before her. After sweeping the volumes from her table (though being careful of her laptop), Inuyasha would declare his love to her, pull her up on the table top, and kiss her so she he would know he never thought of her as Kikyou._

Then and there Kagome decided to go track down her favorite actor/hanyou.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXX

It took Inuyasha all of five minutes to realize what exactly the papers he was holding were, and another two heartbeats for his eyes to bleed red.

_Who in the FUCK sent me divorce papers?_

His immediate response was Dreamstone Studios, trying to fuck with his life again, but quickly realized that couldn't be. They liked to keep their talent happy and at the very least would have called him first before this. There was also the fact that there wasn't a camera present to capture the moment meaning Dreamstone wasn't getting any publicity off his misery.

Then there was always the possibility of Kikyou and Sango. The pair could be cleaning up lose ends, and since he had had all of his phone numbers changed they wouldn't have immediately tracked them down.

Or could it be Kagome? Could she have put this together herself? The documents did say "Kagome Higurashi" on them, and knowing Sango's anality to detail (and she would have been the one getting the papers together) the divorce documents would have definitely had her boss's name on them.

The inner demon calmed a bit. His eyes receded back to the dull mustard yellow they had become in the weeks since he had last seen Kagome. If it was her, he wouldn't blame her for wanting to cut him the rest of the way out of his life; that was practically her right.

He had wanted to see her—spent hours trying to think of an excuse just to be in her presence. He had gone by her apartment, shopped in the grocery stores he thought she might have frequented, even gone in her university's library a couple of times. He had been able to pick up on her scent in a few places, but it was never completely fresh, and so the only comfort he got from his stalking was the knowledge that Kagome was safe.

But what her scent really did to him was leave him extremely frustrated: frustrated and lonely like he had never been before. Once in the library he had caught her scent, but in the stacks of musty and moldy books he had been unable to locate her. In the end, he had nearly put his fist through a bookcase in aggravation, but instead fled the library before he did harm to himself or others. That had been the last time he had tried to find her.

And now he was looking at divorce papers. Divorce papers to end their fake marriage that no one but themselves knew to be a fraud. There had been a bit of an investigation by the authorities when the scandal first hit the tabloids, but the police of Hollywood had more pressing matters to look into.

Looking at the document he had clutched in his hand again, Inuyasha realized he wasn't really sure what he wanted to do about them. He was married in a weird Hollywood way to a woman that wasn't who she had said she was, but probably was who he wanted her to be.

In the time they had been apart, Inuyasha had realized that all the times Kagome had stopped pretending to be her sister, she had been the woman he loved. It had never been Kikyou he wanted, but it had more than likely always been Kagome. Kagome, when she had been allowed to be herself, had been who he wanted, who he loved—never Kikyou. He didn't care if she wasn't the most beautiful woman, or didn't know all the nuances of a starlet's life—that was what drew him to her. In the end, he decided if she would have him he would give up his career and move into her tiny apartment.

But that was a very powerful and unlikely if. Why would she want him?

Digging his claws into the divorce papers, Inuyasha tossed them onto his coffee table.

He would sign them later and give them back to Kagome, if that was what she truly desired.

It may not have been like him to give up so easily, but he was emotionally exhausted from the entire mess. Besides, what would a marriage between them look like? It had all been arranged; they hardly knew each other. Perhaps in the feudal era that would have been acceptable, but it wasn't what he wanted. He wanted more, and Kagome deserved better.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXX

It was surprisingly easy to get into Inuyasha's house. His security guards nodded at her with a frown, but paid her no other notice.

Walking up the steps of the front porch, Kagome had the urge to turn and run. She clutched the divorce papers tighter to her chest. This had to be done. She needed answers, not to mention, if she didn't seen Inuyasha again soon, she wasn't sure what she was going to do. Seeing Inuyasha was even more important than answers.

With shaking fingers, she rang the doorbell. A knot was tightening in her stomach, threatening to make her nauseous, but Kagome pushed it down. She had spent too much of her time hiding behind her sister and it was now time for her to do things her way.

Waiting, waiting, waiting. Nothing.

Kagome pressed in the button again. Again nothing. She resorted to banging on the door, and there was finally the sound of footsteps. Just as they almost reached the door, Kagome heard a loud clang and cursing. _He must have knocked something over._ Kagome almost laughed, but the severity of the situation stuck with her, and she remained composed.

The knob began to turn.

This was it.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"So you sent them out yesterday. They got them today?"

"Correct."

"Perfect," Kikyou smirked, looking at a broken nail. "So how are things with you and Inuyasha's lackey?"

Sango giggled, but in her very restrained, Sango way. "Better than I expected. I really like him."

Kikyou nodded to herself. "Good, good. I'll be back in two weeks—as long as nothing else goes wrong. Keep me updated on our favorite couple."

"Great. Will do. See you then."

"See you then."

XXXXXXXXXXX

The door only opened a crack, and once again Kagome felt as though she was being watched.

"Inuyasha?" She took a tentative step forward. "Is that you? Are you there?"

Whoever was on the other side of the door said nothing, but it opened a bit more.

"Inuyasha?"

The door opened enough for Kagome to see a single golden eye staring back at her. Kagome blushed a little, smiling a tiny bit, though she was worried. He wasn't saying anything, just staring.

"I, uh." Kagome couldn't help it. She began to ramble. "I stopped by because I got these papers in the mail this morning," she pushed the divorce documents at hanyou watching her. "I didn't know who sent them, and I was wondering if, well," Kagome stumbled over her words, unsure if she wanted to know the answer. His silence was painfully unnerving and if Inuyasha had sent the divorce papers…. "I just wanted to know if you were the one to serve them to me." Worrying her bottom lip, she came to a conclusion: "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have come. I knew this was a bad idea."

Kagome turned quickly, practically leaping down the steps in her exit.

However, before she ever reached the bottom of the stoop, she found herself face to face with the very hanyou whose anger she was trying to escape.

It was Kagome's turn to stare silently in shock.

"Kagome?" Inuyasha asked, as though he didn't even believe she was there.

Kagome for her part could only give a weak nod.

"I…" He couldn't think of anything intelligent to say. With Kagome staring up at him with her big eyes, so sweet and loving, all of his words left him. "You came here for these?" He mumbled, unable to think of anything better. Reaching out, he took the divorce papers from her. They were the same as his.

A little slow as always, it took Inuyasha a few minutes to grasp the meaning of his own question. "Wait! You got papers too?" The hanyou was almost giddy with the idea.

Kagome bowed her head at the intensity of his gaze. "Yes, I said before. You sent them to me. You—"

"I got papers too. You mean you didn't send them to me?" Inuyasha looked down at Kagome with guarded hope.

"Like I said, I came here to ask you that same question. Its not like _I_ wanted them."

"You didn't want a divorce?"

Kagome was at a lose for words. It was true that she wasn't thrilled at the way their marriage turned out, but it was true she wasn't ready to give up on her relationship with Inuyasha. However, she wouldn't be lying if she said that she did not want the man who was in love with her sister but married to her to know her feelings on the matter. Kagome was not afraid of Inuyasha; she did not fear what he could say or do to her if he knew she was love with him. She was afraid of her own reaction if he rejected her; ignorance always offered bliss.

She had already played out all those painful scenes in her mind. Her inner world was a veritable playground for her own misery showing her time after time the hurt and disappointed look in Inuyasha's eyes. The disgust he would show when he heard her feelings for him; the discontent he would feel in knowing that he had the wrong sister.

It would simply not do for him to know what she felt for him.

But his eyes were pleading with her. He definitely had an answer he wanted from her, but she wasn't sure what exactly was correct.

She took the coward's way out: "Don't you want a divorce?"

The cute little puppy ears on the top of his head flattened to his skull at her response.

She wasn't sure why, but the action made Kagome want to cry. She wanted to comfort him, reassure Inuyasha in some way. But since he was so hung up on Kikyou, and Kikyou would always love her husband, there was nothing she could say on that front. And no matter how much she loved him, she wasn't going to stick around and be a replacement Kikyou for Inuyasha. Her heart could only take so much.

"Kagome," Inuyasha ran a nervous hand through his long silver hair. "Kagome, I'm sorry. I know things are so screwed up between us, but I wish they could be better. I'm sorry I'm really a hanyou—if I could be only 'Inu the actor' for you I would. But I can't. I can't change who I am."

Kagome stared at him stunned. She was on a chronic sugar rush, her head was muddied from research and writing, but he damn well seemed to be saying that he wanted her—not Kikyou, but her.

Of course, she could be wrong. Maybe she was only making his words mean what she wanted them to mean. Why would a famous actor want a girl like her?

_Why should _why_ matter so much? Wouldn't it be enough if he just did?_

Kagome decided it would be enough. More than enough.

Leaning forward, as at this point they had both moved fairly close together, she kissed Inuyasha square on the mouth. She, a scholar and an actress, did not have the words to test the love he might hold for her or the words to reassure any doubts he might possibly have about her feelings for him. A simple action seemed best.

Inuyasha pulled back, retreating from her touch. He was still unsure of what exactly to think and all he could do was stare into Kagome's eyes, still pleading with her, hoping she felt for him the same thing he felt about her.

It did seem too much to ask, but then she had kissed him.

There appeared only one-way to find out the truth: carefully, feeling out the air between them, Inuyasha gripped Kagome's chin, pinching her skin between his fingers. There was no resistance on her part and he pulled them back together, their eyes drawn together the entire time.

Delicately, as though she would shatter, Inuyasha kissed Kagome. It was chaste at first, but when Kagome coiled her arms around his neck, weaving her fingers through his silver hair in the process, Inuyasha took it as a sign to deepen their embrace. She leaned into his body and his fingers slipped down to latch onto her waist so he could pull her even closer. He didn't want to let her go and he had a feeling Kagome reciprocated his feelings.

Kagome smiled against Inuyasha's lips. She hadn't felt this happy for quite some time. Certainly not since her Honeymoon. She had missed him so much, and now she had them—both of them, she recalled with a taint of guilt.

Finally, spurred by remorse, Kagome pulled away. Even if she was a substitute for Kikyou, she had not always been in the right.

"Can we really do this?" She whispered, still leaning into Inuyasha. Kagome kept her head down, tracing the collar seam of his shirt.

"I'm game if you are," Inuyasha answered, but Kagome noticed he was hesitant.

"Are you sure?" She gulped and leaned her forehead into his collarbone. "I know you don't think I'm the most faithful person, and," she paused for a moment, "I can't—won't—be Kikyou for you."

Inuyasha was silent, processing her words.

Kagome took his lack of response as dismissal. _He doesn't want me._

Trying to pull herself out of his grip, Kagome found the grasp on her tighten. "Hold still wench! I'm thinking!" Inuyasha growled. He had been bewildered from the moment he opened his front door. Kagome had been there, the same divorce papers in her hands as his. Then, it seemed that she didn't want to be separated from him, next she was asking him if things could be worked out between them. When he took to the step to say he wanted her, she had to turned around and threw her technical infidelity in his face before telling him she couldn't be her sister. What the hell was that supposed to mean?

And the fact that she felt so good in his arms did not help his ability to think things through. She was softer now. Kagome had probably put on some weight, but that gave him more of her, and what youkai would want that? He didn't want to lose her, and holding her only served to remind him of what he would be losing if he didn't answer her correctly.

Better to go slow. "First of all, as far as how 'faithful' you were can't be measured by the circumstances we were in. You have to admit things were pretty fucked up—I don't think either of us were really acting like ourselves." He felt her stiffen, but continued, "I want us to have time to sort out things. I think you deserve the chance." Sucking in a deep breath, Inuyasha scrunched his brow in confusion as he remembered her last words. "But first you have to tell me why I would want you to be Kikyou."

Kagome pressed her face into Inuyasha's shirt, and he could hear her whine, faint tears wafting their scent up to his nose. "You have to give me actual words so that I can understand," Inuyasha pressed.

"You were so glad to be married to me, when you thought I was Kikyou," she took a second to collect her thoughts, "and now you know I'm not her. Aren't you disappointed?"

"Of course not!" Inuyasha spat out. He still didn't really get what she was getting out, but he tried to answer her worries as best as he could. This was obviously something that bothered her greatly, and he had to comfort her. "If you must know, I dreaded getting married to Kikyou. I idealized her before I met you, but all those time you slipped up and showed me _Kagome _made me recognize that you were the one I really wanted."

Kagome smiled. Really smiled.

"So no, you don't disappointment me," Inuyasha finished.

Finally, Inuyasha released her, gently pushing her back so he could look at her again. He returned her smile before leaning in to kiss her again.

When they parted, he picked up her copy of the divorce papers. "How about we take care of these?"

Kagome nodded and they went inside. There, on Inuyasha's coffee table, they signed and dated the forms, then stuffed both sets into the envelope sent with Inuyasha's to return them. Examining the address on the return envelope, Kagome was fairly certain they were going back to Kikyou's office.

Walking down the street hand in hand, the couple paused at a corner mailbox to mail in their divorce papers. In their minds at least, both felt their fake marriage had ended.

"How about sushi?" Inuyasha asked as their continued their stroll down the sidewalk, their hands still latched together.

"I think you just read my mind." Kagome responded, smiling up at him.

They paused in their walk to kiss, before continuing on their way to their first real date.

The End

(sans epilogue)

XXXXXXXXXXXXXX

A/N: Yes, I'm putting up an epilogue, and possibly a corky alternate ending. As I said above, I may do one-shots in the place of a sequel. 

Also, I know there are some technical, legal loophole problems, but really I don't want to spend my time researching correct procedures and the like, and I feel like though it would give a few readers closure by making the divorce seem realistic, I believe most of you will skim/skip it. I know I would.

**And since this is one of the last chapters for this story, I'm plugging my next story.**

**I'm toying with a few different titles: Miko Malice (most likely); Death By Charade; Hanyou Harrow **

**(Working) Summary: Trying to escape tension with his family, Inuyasha finds himself gambling at a seedy tavern. When he wins more than he bargained for, our hanyou is forced to befriend a young neko-hanyou slave named Kagome who is more than she appears to be.**

**Ok, yeah, I know its become a pretty clichéd plot (I've seen the Kagome as hanyou twist in more than one fic) but this story as been bothering me for months and will not go away. I would have written it sooner, but I wanted to get something done before I did. I've had the plot outlined since like February! Basically its several ideas I had that I put in the blender and liquefied into a goopy mass. I hope you'll read.**

**And no, I have not forgotten about my other fics. For any one that cares about them or my new story, here is my tentative writing schedule (which I do not promise to adhere to completely):**

**Finish "Marriage of Convenience"**

**Chapter of "Better Things Than You"**

**Edit "Marriage"**

**First chapter of new story**

**Chapter of "Better Things"**

**New story**

**Finish "Filling the Void"**

**Continue alternating "Better Things" with new story until one takes off**

**I have not forgotten about "Fortune Tell and a Nerdy Hanyou", and I'll fit that one in where I can.**


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